A Lesson In Love
by virginalvampire
Summary: New kindergarten teacher Bella Swan leaves her demons behind in Arizona and heads home to Forks, hoping to start fresh. What happens when her fresh start is interrupted by a new neighbor who brings more trouble than peace? Rated M for language and lemons. B/E (I suck at summaries.)
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: All Twilight related content belongs to Stephanie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I just enjoy messing with her characters. :)**

**A/N: Here's my new story! I hope you like it. Please review, if you do. Ha, that kinda rhymed. Skillz.**

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_You can do this Bella_, I tell myself as I smooth down my skirt. It ends about three inches above my knees and I think for the third time this morning, that it's too short for a kindergarten classroom. My phone rings right as I reach for a longer skirt.

"Hello Alice," I say without even needing to look at the caller ID.

"Do not even think about changing that skirt, Bella. It looks fabulous on you. It screams kindergarten teacher who isn't over fifty and doesn't own a cat. Do. Not. Change."

"But I do own a cat."

"It's a kitten."

"But it'll be a cat eventually," I argue back.

"Bella," she warns.

I sigh but give her my word before hanging up and feeding said cat. "Do not ruin anything today," I say sternly as he licks his paws, completely ignoring me. "Good talk." I scratch behind his ear as he purrs, before he realizes that there's now food in his bowl and I'm forgotten about.

_Typical male._

I am not a coordinated person. I'll be the first to admit that I'm a klutz, and if there was a club, I'd be its President. But here I am, juggling my purse, a backpack, and a huge box full of first day supplies for my first ever class. It was doomed from the start.

"Shit!" I cry out as I fall. Knowing from experience that there's no way to stop my fall, I drop the box and hold my hands out in front of me, preparing to brace for impact. "Ow," I whine as all of my weight lands on my hands. To any passerby it probably looks like I decided I needed an impromptu work out session and am in the middle of a push up.

Luckily it's six in the morning and nobody is around.

"Are you okay?" A smooth voice asks from above me.

Fuck.

Okay,_ someone_ is around.

And _someone_ is touching my waist and helping me up…

_Please don't be a creepy killer or something else that'll end with me dead and buried. _

As I right myself and disengage my body from Mr. Stranger, I take a step back and look up.

_Holy fucking shit_.

I do not care what or who you are just…_pretty please with you on top_, fuck me.

_Wait, what?_

I shake my head, internally telling my vag to take a Klonopin or something so it'll calm down and allow my brain to function.

"Miss…?" he trails off, looking at me like I'm an idiot. Which I admittedly am right now…but it's his fault.

_So pretty._

I shake my head again, trying to clear all of the passing fantasies that involve him and me naked so I can remember my name.

"Um…Swan."

"I'm sorry?" he gives me an adorable lopsided grin. His bright green eyes crinkle in confusion.

"Uh, my name is Ms. Swan." Ms. Swan, really? Ugh! "Isabella Swan." Ew, not Isabella. "No, Bella. Sorry."

_Smooth_.

He says nothing about my verbal diarrhea, instead only smiles and extends a hand in greeting. "Hello Bella," he says and his voice causes tingles all over my body. "I'm Edward Cullen."

I ignore the tingles and begin picking up my backpack and purse. I'm about to reach for the box as well, but Edward steps in and grabs it. "I don't think we need a repeat performance, do you?" he asks with a sexy smirk. "I'll carry it to your car."

"Um, thanks." My body flushes with the knowledge that he saw the whole entire thing.

Apparently 'um' and 'uh' are the only words I know.

_Stupid gorgeous man. _

He places the box into the backseat of my behemoth of a truck that's probably older than Mr. Sexy and I combined, before shutting the door gently. I throw my purse and backpack on the passenger seat and climb in. He kneels down next to my driver's side door and rests his arms on the open space when I roll down my window. "So, Bella…I'm new to the area. Would you mind showing me where to get a decent cup of coffee sometime?"

When the fuck did Mr. Sex-On-Legs move in? Was I in a coma?

Just as I'm about to answer, a little boy runs out of the house across the street and a few doors down from mine. "Dad! Come on we're gonna be late!" he screams while waving his arms around dramatically.

_Dad?_

It's okay Bella. Breathe. He's just a DILF.

"Uh, I'll be there in a second buddy, go get your backpack," he says without taking his eyes from mine. I don't know what he sees there, but he smiles slightly and stands up. "If you're not up for that cup of coffee now, that's fine. I have a pretty reliable GPS and Forks seems like a really small town."

I'm about to tell him that I'll gladly still show him where the best coffee is when I'm cut off again. This time it's not an innocent little boy looking for his father. It's a gorgeous blonde woman glaring our way and yelling to Edward.

"Edward, let's go! I need to leave for work and Masen is getting impatient."

_He's a married DILF._

Well still…

_No!_

What a scumbag! Hitting on your new neighbor while your wife gets your kid ready for school? I don't care how hot you are, that shit _does not_ fly.

"No, Bella listen…"

Holy shit, I said that out loud?

"Um yeah, you did."

I need to get my brain-to-mouth filter checked.

Okay I didn't say that out loud…well it's a start.

"Goodbye Edward," I seethe with as much venom as I can muster before rolling up my window and taking off down the street, not giving him a chance to lie to my face.

The nerve of some guys! I hate men who think just because they're gorgeous, they can get away with anything they fucking want. That's why I left Phoenix. Edward Cullen reminds me of _him_.

He-who-shall-not-be-named. No, not Voldemort, but I like where your head's at. The whole lack of nose creepily reminds me of Michael Jackson. But I wouldn't mind Tom Riddle…you know, pre-Voldemort, cause damn that boy was fine as fuck in Half-Blood Prince.

As I pull up into the parking lot of Forks Elementary, I clear my mind of all things Harry Potter, hoping to get my mind frame right for my first day as a teacher. It doesn't work, and a thought hits me: What if his kid is in my class? I hadn't gotten that great of a look at his son, but from the blur I saw of him I'd say he could be a first grader. Okay, I _hope_ he's at least a first grader. The thought of him being a kindergartener makes my stomach roll. There's only one class for each grade. Forks is a small town. I don't like my chances.

"Oh, Isabella, how lovely to see you dear." Mrs. Cope greets me with open arms. Throughout my entire elementary school years I'd tried to get Shelley Cope to call me Bella. She always refused, telling me that Isabella is a beautiful name. Apparently she hasn't changed her mind. I step into her hug and squeeze her tightly, glad to see a familiar face. "I'm so happy you decided to come home after school instead of staying in Phoenix. Was it hard finding an open position down there, or did you just miss the old man?" She gives me a kind and curious smile. I know she's not asking me to hurt me. How would she know that asking me about Phoenix would make me want to vomit?

I give her a small smile before answering. "The plan was to originally stay in Phoenix, but I just wanted to come home. I missed all of the rain," I joke and she laughs. "Plus I missed the Chief." I wink at her and she smiles. It's not a big secret that all of the ladies in Forks have the hots for my dad. Gross. Luckily he seems to be oblivious to it. "Have a good first day, Mrs. Cope. I'll see you later."

-o-

I'm kind of early, considering it's only half past six in the morning, and school doesn't start until eight, but I need the hour and a half to get my room prepared. I'd come in a few times this week to do all of the big work – hanging artwork, calendars, and repainting the cubby holes.

This morning's work load is a bit easier. I make my way to each tiny desk, setting down a name card and a special prize for each student. As I place down my last name card I come to a realization: no Masen. The thought both relieves and disappoints me all at once.

"Good morning boys and girls!" I say merrily to the classroom full of five year olds.

"Good morning Ms. Swan," they shout back at me.

"I would like to welcome you all to your first day of kindergarten. How about we give ourselves a round of applause for being so smart?" The class claps happily while looking proudly at their parents. "Can we all say goodbye to our Moms and Dads and tell them that we'll see them after school?" Some kids barely say goodbye to their parents, ready to face the new adventure of school; while others cry and cling to their loved ones, afraid of letting them go. Luckily it's only two of my fifteen kids that are having a hard time.

"Mackenzie, are you okay?" I say to the little girl clinging to her mother's leg. She shakes her head and bites her thumb. "What's wrong?" I ask calmly as she looks at her mother and then back to me. "I'm gonna miss my Mommy," she says quietly, not wanting the other kids to hear her.

"You know what? How about we make your Mommy a special surprise that she can get when she picks you up after school? Because you know in a few hours school will be over and you'll go home with your Mommy right?"

"I will?"

"That's right. You'll go home and then come back tomorrow so we can learn more things again." I assure her.

"And then my Mommy picks me up again? Every time?" she asks slowly, understanding sinking in.

"Yep," I wink at her and hold out my hand. She takes mine and releases her mother's. Her mom mouths a quiet "Thank you," before quietly stepping out of the room. "Mackenzie, can you help me cheer up Braden? I think he's sad that his Daddy is leaving. He doesn't understand either. Do you think we can help him?" She nods furiously and follows me to the little boy who is cutting off circulation to his poor father's hand.

"Hey Braden, do you think you can let Dad take off and get to work?" He shakes his head no. "Really? Because he has to go to work so he can buy you cool things for school." His father nods along. "What cool things?" Braden asks me as he wipes his nose on his sleeve. "Well…crayons and coloring books that you can use during free time to make him a special prize. See the paper Dad has? That's the list of things you'll need this year."

"I don't have those yet," he says sadly.

"That's okay, I do."

He looks at me hopefully. "I can use 'em?"

"Of course you can! I'm your teacher and they're for my classroom. And guess what? My classroom is your classroom! We'll make something great for Dad using all of the stuff I have that you can bring home to him tonight."

"Okay." He agrees and releases his father's hand. His father gives me a grateful smile and heads off to work.

"Okay boys and girls, I need everyone at their desks so we can have a very important talk. Can everyone touch their nose so I know you can hear me?" Fifteen fingers touch fifteen noses and I give them a big smile. "Wow, I have a great class this year, great listeners! Do you know that you all are a very special class?" They shake their heads. "Well you are...would you like to know why?" I ask and they all nod. "You're my very first class, so you're very special to me. Each and every one of you." They're all smiles and I'm about to go into my first day speech when I'm interrupted.

"Ahem," I hear followed by a cough behind me. Shit I know that voice. I memorized it easily, even though that voice has only said a few sentences to me, and even though all that voice said now was a small 'ahem'.

My body tingles and warms instantly.

I turn around slowly and am met with the very bright green eyes of Edward Cullen. I stand still and quickly take inventory of his perfection, unable to help myself. I take in his weird bronze hair that resembles a shiny new penny. His gorgeous green eyes that remind me of a forest. His perfect bone structure, complete with his perfectly sculpted chin that rivals that of David. But what catches my eye the most is his smug fucking smirk, and the tingles in my belly are replaced with fire as I let my anger take over to smolder out my desire for this stupid perfect man.

"Hello, Ms. Swan," he says as he pulls his son in front of him. Using your child as a shield?_ Pathetic, but effective._ I say nothing to Edward smugface Cullen; instead I bend down and address his son. "Hello sweetheart, what's your name?" I ask even though I already know.

"M-Masen Anthony Cullen," he stutters out, shy and nervous. "Hello Masen, I'm Ms. Swan."

"Like the bird?" he asks and I laugh and nod. "That's right. You're smart huh?" He nods shyly and I hold out my hand. He easily takes it and follows me to the last empty desk. I sit him down and pat his head before making my way to the front of the room. I reach into my box of tricks and take out a name card, only acknowledging Edward once. "Do you spell his name with an E or an O?"

"E."

And I'm back to ignoring the fucker. "Okay Masen," I say as I approach his desk. "This is your name card," I say as I attach it to his desk. "Now I want you to pick a hand," I hold out both of my fists and he selects the right. "Here you go," I say holding my palm open and showing him a little giraffe toy. He smiles and takes it from me and I give him a wink before going back to the front of my room.

"Welcome to kindergarten!" I say brightly as sixteen pairs of eyes lock onto me. "We're going to have a lot of fun, and learn a lot of great stuff. Every day when you enter this classroom, I want you to make sure you have your thinking cap on. Can everyone put their thinking caps on? You do it like this," I say as I demonstrate putting on a fake hat and clasping a fake button under my chin.

I hear asshole snicker behind me, but I ignore it. "Very good! Now that everyone has on their thinking cap, we're going to have our very first lesson of the day. I want everyone in the first row to come up here and line up in front of my desk." The three students of the first row line up and wait for my next instruction. I pull out my first stack of pictures that match each child's toy precisely. "I want each of you to look through these pictures and select the one that matches your toy," I tell the three small kids in front of my desk. They do as I ask and select the correct pictures. I do this for the next three rows as well and just as I'm about to call up the next row, I remember that I now have sixteen students instead of fifteen. I don't want Masen to come up by himself and feel out of place.

I mentally bitch out Edward for showing up late and throwing off not only my entire lesson plan, but also my seating schedule. "Masen please come up with the last row as well." I add a picture of a giraffe to the other three pictures and he selects his animal correctly with a smile. As he heads back to the sixth row all alone, it tugs at my heart.

"Mr. Cullen," I turn around, not surprised that he's still standing there against the door, looking all too much like a runway model. He coughs and steps forward, "Yes, Ms. Swan?" I bite back the insult that I want to throw his way and smile sweetly. "Could you please bring me up a desk from the back and put it next to my desk here?" I ask pointing at the right side of my desk. He frowns but does as I ask.

"Masen, would you please come sit up here?" I ask as Edward places the desk down. He hurries toward me and whisper-yells in my ear. "Please do not take this out on my kid, I know you're pissed at me right now, but you're going to make him feel bad."

I give him a confused look, because that's what I am – fucking confused. "What are you fu-" I glare at him, because my hatred for this man almost caused me to curse in front of a room full of five year olds. I can't say anything else now because Masen is waiting patiently for instructions.

"Class," I address the room and Edward by raising an eyebrow at him. "This desk here is called the Dynamite Desk. Each morning a student will be picked to sit here for being dynamite. Can anyone tell me what dynamite means?" Masen raises his hand and I motion for him to speak. "Doesn't that mean it's an esplosion?" he asks sweetly.

"Explosion," I correct his tiny mistake but smile to let him know I'm impressed. "Very good, it can mean that. But in this case it means you're dynamite. That means you're so incredibly cool and awesome and smart, that you get to sit here today. I'll be looking throughout the day for my next dynamite student, so everyone make sure you give all of your effort today, okay?" There's an excited murmur amongst the students as they nod their heads.

I turn around to write on the chalkboard and see Edward staring at me, mouth agape; resembling some sort of sexy trout. "Mr. Cullen, we'll see you at 3." I dismiss him and begin writing the capital letters that match each animal toy on my chalkboard. When I'm done I look over and see that he's gone.

My heart drops into my stomach and I feel like the wind has been knocked out of me just from the lack of his presence.

_I'm in trouble. _

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**A/N: So…what do you guys think about Teacherella? She's kinda feisty eh? And what about Dadward? This idea has been in my head for a while, so I needed to get it out. It won't affect the posting of my other stories, don't worry. They'll both be up some time tomorrow with new chapters! Please let me know what you think! If there's enough reviews, I may post the second chapter tomorrow along with my other stories. ;) **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: All Twilight related material belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I just enjoy messing with her characters. ;)**

**A/N: Thanks for the support of my new story! I decided to be incredibly awesome and give you guys another new chapter today. Everyone that reviews will get a teaser of the next new chapter. You know you want it. Who wants to go a whole week with nothing? Not you. So make sure you review. I'll be replying to all reviews and sending all reviews a teaser.**

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"Dad?" I call out a greeting as I enter my childhood home.

"I'm in here Bells!" Charlie yells from what sounds like the living room. I roll my eyes. Of course he's in the living room. I'd bet a million dollars that he's sitting in his favorite recliner, beer in hand, watching the Seahawks game. "Motherfucker! Where's the holding call ref?"

Knew it.

"Hey Dad," I lean down to kiss him, making sure to not block the fifty inch flat screen at all. I've learned over the years. "I brought you something to grub on." I hold the pizza in front of him and his gaze shifts from the television to the box. I roll my eyes at him. Of course I don't get a glance or a hello, but the pizza gets a stare. "It'll be in the kitchen if you want a slice."

I hear him grumbling behind me as he tries to find the remote. The only reason he's even leaving the living room during game time is because he's DVR'd it. I know he likes to think that he's fooled me into thinking he'll leave the game to spend time with me, and I let him think that. I know my Dad loves me very much, but I also know that he's a guy. You don't mess with the Swan men on Sundays.

"How was your first week of work honey?" he asks me around a mouth full of pizza. I send him a mini glare and he at least has the decency to look sheepish before wiping the grease off his chin. "Sorry Bells," he takes a drink of his beer before pestering me once more. "So? How'd it go?"

"It was great, Dad."

"That's it kid? Just great? How many hours did I spend on the phone with you when you were talking about accepting that damn job up here?" I level him with my full glare and he chokes on his next sip of beer. "I mean, uh, you were so excited and with everything that happened last year… I mean…with everything you had going on…um…you know…" He rubs the back of his neck and I can tell he's completely uncomfortable. I decide to throw him a bone.

"It's seriously amazing Dad. The kids…" I sigh and give him a genuine smile. "They're so terrific. My room is packed with sixteen amazing young brains to fill."

He gives me a huge grin and pats my hand in his I'm-not-a-hugger-but-I'm-proud-of-you gesture. His brows dip together and he shocks me with a question. "Sixteen? I thought you had fifteen kids."

I'm shocked for two reasons.

One: It turns out Charlie actually listens to me when I talk.

Two: I wasn't expecting to broach the Edward Cullen subject with my father.

_No thank you._

"Um…there was a last minute kid."

My dad's eyebrows shoot up into his hairline. "Last minute? Who registers their kid last minute in Forks? It's not like there's any other elementary school in town." It's true; Fork's has two schools. The elementary school which houses K-8th grade and the high school across the street.

"Yeah, I guess they just moved here." I guess this takes him by surprise because his eyebrows rise even higher.

"Who are they? Did you meet the parents?"

I cough on my sip of Mountain Dew and my father gives me a strange look. "Yeah I met them. The Cullens. They seem really nice."

"Oh." It's all he says before he snags another piece of pizza from the box. "It didn't mess up your whole teaching plan, did it?"

"No. I just had to adjust some lessons to include the extra little boy. I made up this dynamite desk on the spot on the first day though." I laugh as I remember. The kids have seriously tried their hardest to get into that desk this past week. I tell my father all about it, and about the lengths some kids are willing to go to secure the hot seat.

"I'm so proud of you Bella," he says when I finish the story. "You're going to make one hell of a teacher. Have you told your Mom about your first week yet?" He tries to hide it, but I catch it. There's a flash of pain across his face for the tiniest second when he mentions my mother.

I shake my head. "No I haven't talked to her yet." I shrug. "I'll probably just send her an email."

"Bells," he sighs. He's about to lecture me but I hold up my hand. Honestly I don't know why he sticks up for her. "Don't Dad," I say in my warning tone. "Don't do it. Please. I don't want to talk to her unless it's necessary and this isn't. She can get an email; if she doesn't like it, too bad."

I've never really forgiven my mother for walking out on my Dad. Sure, they had a rough marriage and it wasn't always easy, but he loved her. He still does. I'm sure it's the reason he's never noticed every woman in town wagging their tongues at him like dogs in heat. Gross.

"Honey it's been ten years."

I feel like telling him the same thing. I want to scream at him and tell him not to waste any more time on a woman that walked out on him over a decade ago, but I see the hurt in his eyes still and I just can't do it. "I know Dad," is what I say instead. "I just can't right now. After last year's drama…I just don't need any of hers okay? I want simple. Forks is simple. My job is simple. My life…is simple. For the first time in a long time I want the normal everyday life. Okay?"

"Okay Bells."

That's my dad, simple. I love him for it.

"I gotta go. I have to prepare my lesson for tomorrow."

He gives me a proud father smile and I give him a huge hug. "Thanks Dad."

"For what honey?"

"For…last year. For the job. For everything. I love you."

We never use the L word much, but when we do; we mean it.

"Love you too Bells." His voice is gruff with emotion and I leave before I see him cry. Neither of us can handle that.

-o-

"So, Teach, tell me all about your first week."

I sigh and down another shot, knowing I'm going to need it. I know I shouldn't be drinking on a school night, but after finishing everything I needed to finish for tomorrow and glancing at the clock, I knew I needed to kill some time. Nothing kills time better than drinking with my girls.

"Yeah B, spill it."

I look between the both of them and try to figure out how drunk they are. Alice has hiccupped about three times in the last minute which lets me know that she won't remember anything I tell her tomorrow. Jessica's eyes are glassy but she hasn't started belting out 80s hits yet, so it's a toss-up. I groan and decide to get it over with.

"It was great. My day started with falling on my face in front of my house, but don't worry a sexy stranger helped me up. Said stranger then decided to ask me out on a coffee date. Just as I was about to say yes to Edward, that's sexy stranger…a little boy comes running out and calls him Dad." They both gasp before downing more shots. I join them in the second one. "So I'm thinking, okay, he's a DILF. But then, _then_, a leggy blonde bitch comes out of the house. She says that Masen, that's his little boy. Oh my god he's the sweetest little boy." I laugh when I remember something he did during the week. "Wednesday, he-"

"Get back to the DILF and the blonde bimbo!" Alice shouts, completely interrupting me. I glare at her but comply.

"She comes out and says Masen is getting impatient and she needs to leave for work. Can you believe that he was hitting on me while his wife was inside their house with their son?"

"What a dick!" Jessica yells. I nod my head furiously in agreement with her. Alice looks confused, which isn't rare when she's drunk. She doesn't say anything, which is weird, but Jess is talking again. "How can he be such an asshole? That's so low. How hot was he? Like…worth cheating hot or like…" Her eyes widen and she stops herself. "Oh my God Bella, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean the whole cheating thing…fuck I'm such a bitch."

I reach across and grab her hand. "It's okay Jess. I know you didn't mean to say it like that. It's fine, I'm over it." I give her a smile but even I know it must look fake. She gives me a sympathetic smile before grabbing Alice's hand.

"I love you Bella," she says as she helps Alice to her feet. "Call us tomorrow okay? I wanna be updated on the DILF thing, like daily." I laugh at the pair of them and call them a cab. When they stumble out, I clean up our mess and decide to take a hot shower. I feel a little less drunk by the time I get out, and judging by the time on the clock, I'd say that's a good thing. What kind of school teacher stays up until eleven on a school night drinking with her girls?

As I'm hunting through my top drawer for my favorite pair of boy shorts, I spot a set of headlights coming down the street. Luckily, my bedroom light is off, which is probably why I can't find my fucking shorts. Okay, maybe I'm still drunk. I shake my head to clear it of my ridiculous thoughts and grab any pair of panties before slipping them on. I grab a clean tank top and throw it over my head so I can focus on the car out front.

The headlights cut off and the driver gets out gracefully. Even from this distance, and with only the dim light from the street lamps above, I know its Edward. His tall frame and graceful movements give him away, right along with his penny colored hair that refuses to not be noticed no matter the lighting.

He stops walking toward his house and turns toward my window. My skin tingles and I gasp, hoping beyond hope that he can't see me. My blinds aren't drawn, but my room is pitch black. There's no way in hell he can see me from that far away. _You saw him_, my inner bitch taunts me.

I'm cloaked in darkness though!

I'm arguing with myself. I stop that shit immediately, not wanting to drive myself insane. He continues staring for another beat before turning around and walking towards his house. I sigh and shake my head, trying to rid the images of Edward's sexy ass. It wasn't the first time I'd seen him since that first day of school. He'd been by the school every day, promptly at three o'clock to pick up Masen, who was all smiles to see his father. Edward might be an asshole to the female population, but I couldn't argue that he was a good dad.

I let Thursday's Edward invade my thoughts as I sink underneath the covers. He was wearing a tight deep green v neck. I marveled at how the color of his shirt almost matched his eyes perfectly. I'd also lingered a little too long on the smattering of chest hair that the deep v neck showed off. I'm pretty sure he saw me looking too, if the smirk I caught on his face as he was leaving was anything to go by.

A smirking Edward with no shirt on invades my thoughts and before I'm aware of what I'm doing, my hand is in my panties and Edward is doing very naughty things to me in my mind. I'm pissed at Edward and his stupid sexiness when I get off to images of him, but even more pissed off at myself. That was the best orgasm I've ever had…in my entire life, and it was by myself…to imagines of a man I can't stand.

_Bravo Bella, welcome to a new level of pathetic. _

-o-

A cough above my head startles me and I completely ruin the star I was drawing on a student's paper. Scowl firmly in place, I'm completely prepared to tell off the asshole who just ruined my star – until I look up. My scowl disappears when my mouth drops open and my insult dies in my throat. I'm pretty sure I stop breathing too. I don't feel too bad about my reaction though. I'm pretty sure every other female on earth would have the same exact reaction if Edward Cullen was leaning over them with an adorable fucking smile on his face. "I…um…how may I help you Mr. Cullen?"

All of the kids are out at recess and I scramble for some sort of interference. I wish there was a fire alarm near my desk. I would totally pull it. His voice interrupts my escape plans. "I was wondering who I'm supposed to give this to." He holds out a packet of papers. I glance at them and see that it's Masen's school file.

Without looking up from it, I answer him. "Well, since that's his school file, it belongs to the office. I'm pretty sure it says to return it there on the last form in the packet." I'm proud of myself for not stuttering and keeping my voice relatively calm. That might have something to do with completely avoiding eye contact though.

"Oh," he says sounding disappointed and embarrassed all at the same time. His tone makes me look up. His thick eyebrows are drawn together and he has a small frown on his face. I have the ridiculous urge to run my fingers along his lips to smooth it out…and maybe plant a tiny kiss or two on them as well. "Well…thank you. I'm sorry to interrupt."

"It's okay," I say without meaning to. Is it okay? No…yes…well…fuck it. "I can take that for you if you want. I was about to head there anyway." He gives me a small smile and nod before handing over the packet. I have the strangest feeling that he knew it belonged in the office. I mean…you'd have to be blind to not see the bold red font that says **RETURN TO OFFICE** on the bottom of the last page.

"Thanks, again, Ms. Swan. I'll see you at three."

I nod and then he's gone, just like that.

I look down at the file and curiosity gets the best of me. Of course, as Masen's teacher, I have every right to read it, but for some reason it feels like I'm intruding. I open it and look at his basic information. Most of it I already know. Obviously his name I know, and his birthday I learned when we set up our birthday calendar. I look down at the parent information and my heart sinks. There, in the column right alongside Edward's, written in neat cursive handwriting, is the name Rosalie Cullen. Even her name is pretty.

I hate her.

I don't bother reading the rest of the file. I slam it closed and take it to Mrs. Cope to file away with all of the other student's files and try to compose myself before heading back to my room that will soon be filled with eager kindergarteners.

-o-

"Okay everyone. Thinking caps on?" I watch in amusement as every single one of them attaches their imaginary thinking cap to their head. "Listening ears too?" They all twist their ears and let out giggles. "Now, this pink paper needs to be filled out by your Mommy or Daddy. It's the permission slip for our first field trip!"

Some kids jump up and down excitedly while others look confused. Masen raises his hand. "Yes Masen?"

"What's a field trip?"

"It's a trip the entire class takes somewhere together where we'll have lots of fun and learn things." He smiles brightly at me, excitement shining in his green eyes that remind me so much of his father. "Our first field trip will be to the aquarium." The room is filled with squeals and I wait for their excitement to calm down. "We're going to need a few parents to come along to help out. On the paper there's a section for your parent to fill out if they want to help out."

Masen raises his hand again and I nod for him to ask his question. "My Daddy has to work during the day." He frowns sadly and I smile at him. "That's okay. Maybe your Mommy can come?" I hate the thought of Mrs. Perfect coming on a field trip, but I'm a professional first and a jealous bitch second. Plus I really want to see Masen smile. He's quickly taken over my heart and I hate to see him frown.

"What if you don't have a Mommy?" he asks sadly and a few kids look at him in confusion. I must look just like the children because Masen looks down, ashamed at asking his question. I walk toward him and kneel in front of him.

"Do you mean what if she can't come?" He must have misspoke, because I know he has a mother. His eyebrows dip as he thinks and I let him process my question. He bites his lip, still looking confused, but nods anyway. I give him a small smile and answer him. "That's okay. Not every parent has to come. Maybe your Mom or Dad will be free for the next trip, okay?" He still looks sad but nods again. For the last hour of school he's not the same happy little boy and my heart stings for him.

Edward looks concerned when he picks Masen up, glancing between him and me as he helps him pack up. I know he wants to ask me if anything happened today but he's holding back for some reason. I silently curse myself for making him feel so uncomfortable. Sure he's an ass but I'm still his son's teacher. That comes before anything else. I silently call him over and he comes when Masen starts talking to Eric, a little boy he's become close with over the first week and a half of school.

"Did something happen today?" Edward asks by way of greeting. I take no offensive to his forwardness, knowing it's fueled by his good parenting. I nod and motion for him to follow me to my desk, out of earshot of all the kids and their parents.

"There was a little incident about an hour ago. We were talking about his first field trip and he mentioned that you worked during the day. It looked like he felt bad that you wouldn't be able to come." Edward's shoulders slump and I know he feels bad. "Edward, don't feel bad. Almost all parents work during the day, except for a few stay at home mothers. I don't know if your wife works, so I suggested that she come if you couldn't. He said he didn't have a Mom…so I helped him through his confusion of saying what if she couldn't come. Don't worry, I told him it was fine if neither of you could make it. There will be other trips."

Edward gives me an intense look. "Did you read his file?"

I must look confused because he shakes his head. "Yes…I read it."

"Not the entire thing…obviously. Stop making assumptions Ms. Swan. Do your job and you won't hurt my kid's feelings." He leaves without another word and I'm completely confused…and a little hurt.

-o-

An hour later, I'm still sitting in my classroom thinking about Edward's words. I'm about to head to the office to take Masen's file home when there's a knock on my classroom door. A handsome man steps through the door and I do a double take on him. "Um, hi, can I help you?" I ask. He gives me a gorgeous smile and nods.

"Hey," he holds out his hand and I shake it. "I'm Riley Biers. I'm the fifth grade teacher. I wanted to introduce myself. I was on a trip during faculty week. I had a family emergency," he explains with a sad smile.

"Oh…I'm sorry to hear about that. I'm Bella Swan. I hope everything is okay now?"

He sighs and runs his hand through his short brown hair. "It will be."

I don't pry because it's not my business and we just met. I look at the desks all around me and sigh at the thought of moving them all around by myself. Then a thought hits me. "Hey, um…" I stop and scrunch my nose up, feeling weird about asking him for a favor when we've just met. He raises an eyebrow at me and I think _fuck it_, and ask. "Could you help me out with something? Um, I kind of need to take these six rows of three and make them into four rows of four. I got a last minute student and it kind of threw off my whole thing."

He smiles and nods. "Sure, let's do it."

It doesn't take him long to help me rearrange the room, and he even takes the extra desk and moves it out into the hallway for the janitor to take back to storage later. I kept the Dynamite Desk, because the kids love it so much. "Just leave a note on it and he'll handle it," he tells me and I thank him for the tip.

"It was nice to meet you. Thanks so much for the help. I have to head out, I have a ton of papers to grade," I joke.

"Ah, the hard task of the smiley sticker," he teases with a shake of his head, "Tough life."

"Hey! Sometimes I draw stars by hand. That's difficult you know."

"Oh, most definitely."

I giggle and it shocks me. I don't remember the last time I giggled. "Shush it. Thinking your high and mighty with your fifth grade papers, huh?"

"Well there are only three grades higher than me…so I guess I'm toward the top of the totem pole, you see. Kind of makes me better than you, I guess."

"Oh it does, does it?"

"Yeah, but I'm a nice guy Bella. So here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to take you out to dinner."

"Really?" I play along and surprise myself by doing so.

He tilts his head toward me as we walk toward the door. "Really," he says sweetly before kissing my cheek. "How about I pick you up here…Friday?" he asks with a quirk of an eyebrow.

"Okay," I agree easily, shocking myself yet again.

"See you then, Ms. Swan."

My heart sinks when he calls me that, quickly reminding me of Edward. I swallow down the disappointment and try to give Riley a genuine smile. It must work, because he grins back at me before leaving me to lock my classroom door.

I curse myself when I internally wish that I was going out with Edward Friday instead of Riley.

_Riley doesn't have a wedding band though_, I think bitterly.

That thought is immediately followed by another, much more confusing thought: does Edward wear a wedding ring? I think back frantically, trying to remember ever seeing a band on his left hand. I can't remember ever seeing one.

What the fuck?

I need that file.

* * *

**A/N: Hi! Let me know your thoughts! What or who did Bella leave in Arizona? What's going on with Dadward? Remember: review = teaser. Who wants to wait until next Friday? I wouldn't!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: All Twilight related material belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I just enjoy messing with her characters. ;)**

**A/N: Here's chapter three…instead of a teaser, you get a new chapter a few days early. See, I was writing the teaser…and then two hours passed and I had a full chapter. So, I figured I'd be awesome and give it to you guys early instead of just a teaser. What can I say? I'm nice. You should be nice in return and review…you may get somethin' out of it. More at the bottom. Enjoy! xo**

* * *

Edward's parting words… _Do your job and you won't hurt my kid's feelings_, keeps playing on a loop in my mind as I stare at Masen's file late Thursday night. I'd brought the file home yesterday, but hadn't had the guts to read it. Edward was right; I wasn't doing my job - at least not to my full capability - when it came to Masen. I'd read every other student's file in my class before the first day of school. Knowing a bit about them helps me make them feel more comfortable. The fact that I denied Masen that small comfort makes me really upset.

Of course, I'd found out about Masen on the first day, so I couldn't have read it before then. However, I'd had him in my class for almost two weeks now. There was only one reason why I didn't want to read it…because I was jealous. I didn't want to sit there and read about Mr. and Mrs. Perfect, and that's what is not okay. I'd been neglecting a teacher related duty because of a personal reason and a little boy suffered for it.

I made a mistake, but Edward was a dick; that much was clear to me now. I may not have done my job as a teacher, but he didn't do his job as a parent either. If there's something in that file that is so important then he should've brought it to my attention right away; especially when something like the field trip fiasco was bound to happen.

Sighing heavily, I reach for my wine glass, which is now full to its brim for the third time tonight because I'm throwing myself my own little pity party. I'm so confused about so many different things. I don't know who to blame and I don't know what to do about it all. Twilight hops up onto the couch and rubs up against my leg, looking for attention. I pick him up, letting his tiny body curl on my chest. His quiet purrs relax me and I take a deep breath, summoning up the courage to reach for the file on my coffee table, because I know the first step in figuring this entire mess out starts with reading that file.

I finally grab it and open it to the first page; the page I figure is the safest, since I've already read it…well half of it. I glance over his basic information, before looking at the parent information columns again and grimace when I see the last name Cullen next to Rosalie. As I scan down further two things shock me: she owns her own garage…and she's listed as Masen's guardian…not mother. What the fuck? How did I not notice that before?

Maybe because you slammed the file closed like a toddler instead of being the mature adult you are?

I ignore the bitch in my head and continue reading. Two hours later, I'm crying and feeling like the world's biggest dick. I'm also extremely fucking pissed at Edward Cullen and plan on giving him a piece of my mind first thing tomorrow. How did he think that this was not relevant? Why didn't he tell me all of this himself on that first fucking day? I'm getting answers, straight from the source.

-o-

"Can you point to the letter of your first name Masen?" I ask him as he stares at the wall covered in capital letters. He point to M and I grin at him. "Great job!"

"That's mine!"

"No it's mine!"

"Give it to me now!"

I hurry over to Eric and Mark who are arguing over a packet of stickers. "Hey! Take it easy you two. There are enough stickers for everyone. If you can't share then you can't have any at all."

They both look rightly chastised and mumble apologies. I turn around to head back to Masen and see him covering his ears. "What's wrong?" I ask as I gently remove his hands from his head. He shakes his head, not wanting to tell me. "Masen, honey, tell me what's the matter and I'll help fix it, okay?"

"The yelling scared me." His voice is very quiet and just as sad as he gives me his explanation.

"I'm sorry it scared you. Do you know why it scared you?" He shakes his head no again, but I know that he knows why. I don't push him, figuring that it has to do with what I read in his file, and there's no way I'm going to push him right now in a room full of five year olds. "Okay," I rub his shoulder. "Why don't you go play with Mackenzie for the rest of your free time? Your Daddy should be here soon."

"Okay," he shrugs and walks over toward the little girl, smiling brightly and I heave a sigh of relief.

An hour later, parents begin trickling in to collect their children. Masen is the last kid there, and I look at the clock again for the third time in as many minutes. Edward is ten minutes late picking him up. He's not the first parent to be late this year, but he is the only one who pisses me off by being late. I try to be very understanding if a parent is a few minutes late, as long as it's not a habit. A lot of parents work or have more than one child to pick up.

Masen is getting more and more nervous as the time ticks on. He's realized that his father is late and has asked me at least five times "Where's my Daddy?" in as many minutes. After reading his file, I know why he's so fidgety and why he's so worried. Any of my other students wouldn't have minded if their parents were a few minutes late, but for Masen…this is a big deal.

When Edward walks through the door – a total of fifteen minutes late, I lose it.

"What is your problem?" I whisper-yell as I approach his rumpled form. I poke his chest and silently appreciate how hard said chest is before the lust haze lifts and I remember why I'm supposed to be pissed at him. "Why are you late?"

"What?" he asks me like he hasn't been paying attention at all. By the vacant expression that's been present on his face during my entire freak out, I'm almost positive he hasn't been paying attention. I feel bad for about five seconds until I remember his words again.

I decide a little payback is in order. "Maybe you should do your job as a parent and make sure you're here on time to pick up your kid. He's been a wreck this entire time and I'm sure he thought you abandoned him!"

Pain flashes in his eyes and Edward opens his mouth, only to close it again. He stares at me with wide eyes, looking at me like he doesn't know if he should scream at me or apologize. I don't give him a chance to do either. I walk over to Masen and kiss the top of his head. "I'll see you tomorrow buddy. Don't forget to bring in your pictures, okay?" He nods and gives me a small smile, looking between his father and myself. I give him a wink and walk out of my room without another word.

-o-

All night long I worried. I stewed and hated myself for what I did in the classroom with Edward. I truly believe that I had every right to be angry with him, but if I'm being honest, I know I could've handled the situation better. Something had obviously happened. He'd been on time picking up Masen every other day so far and the look on his face when he did show up told me he was really stressed out.

He could have called the school and let me know that he was running late though. And he should've told me everything, instead of pulling a lame stunt to get me to read Masen's file. The simple thing – and the smart thing – to do would've been to hand me the file and explain the home situation.

I sigh and scrub my hands down my face before I gather my things and head out.

Basically, we'd both fucked up royally…and we were – _okay, we are_ – pretty stupid. I have to fix this shit today.

Pulling into the parking lot, I'm a bundle of nerves. I'm so nervous about seeing Edward when he drops off Masen that I literally have to swallow back vomit. If that's ever happened to you, you know it hurts like a bitch when it goes back down, and the taste alone makes it almost come right back up again.

It's like vomit yoyo.

"Ms. Swan!"

I tense when I hear my name being shouted across the parking lot. It takes me a second to realize that it's not _his_ voice, so I relax…slightly, because the tension is replaced by nervous excitement. I turn around slowly, hoping against all odds that it's really him. When I see Jacob Black running toward me, every last ounce of the tension and nervousness leaves my body and I practically sigh in relief at the mere sight of him. "Jake!" I scream as I run toward him. The second I'm close enough, I launch myself at him.

Luckily, Jacob is built like the Hulk and catches me easily in his massive arms. I wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck, locking him into a vise grip hug. "Easy there Bells," he says in a strained voice. I release his neck immediately, realizing that my hold might have been a bit too hard…

He laughs and sets me down before kissing my forehead sweetly. "Hey."

"Hi."

He gives me a huge grin, the smile lighting up his entire face. "I'm guessing you missed me, huh?" He smirks at me and crosses his arms. I roll my eyes at him and shrug, going for indifference. "I guess." I'm impressed by how unimpressed I sound right now. I mentally give myself a high five. He scoffs and bumps his shoulder against mine and I do the same.

We both start laughing like two idiots and he pulls me in for another hug. This time, I don't cut off his oxygen so it lasts a lot longer. He hugs me to him tightly, resting his chin on the top of my head as I rest my head against his broad chest. "I did miss you. So much," I say quietly against his starchy ACU jacket. "I'm so glad you're home."

A swell of emotions runs through me and leaks right out of my eyelids. Jake notices my crying and lifts my chin with his index finger. "Hey," he says quietly. "No crying. I am home. There is no need for these." He swipes the tears off of my face with the pads of his thumbs and wipes them on his uniform. I take a second to admire my best friend in all of his Army glory. He looks amazing, all strong and proud and muscles.

"I look pretty good, huh?" He winks at me and I roll my eyes. My eyes are going to roll out of my head from all of the rolling they're doing today, but Jacob brings that side out of me – the immature teenage Bella of our past. "You should've seen how many chicks checked me out in the airport," he brags with his signature smirk. "Look at all of these." He pulls out a wad of crumpled up papers and hands them to me. They're women's phone numbers.

"Ugh," I groan out. "You're such a guy Jake. This is gross." I shove the papers back into his hands and he holds them like they're his life line.

"Hey! I need some love too you know. I've been cooped up with guys for the last year and a half in the middle of a desert!" He has a point, but I don't say that out loud. I've never admitted Jacob was right, and I never will.

"Whatever you say pig," I tease with a shove that doesn't move his massive form at all. "What are you doing here? Not that I don't love the surprise of seeing your annoying face after a very long eighteen months…but…"

"I just got home and you know you're always my first stop. You look like such a teacher." He scrunches up his nose as he looks me over. I glance down at myself as well. I'm wearing a black skirt with sensible heels, along with a royal blue button up top.

"I am a teacher Jake." I look at him like he's an idiot, cause honestly right now he is.

This time he rolls his eyes at me. "Well, duh. I just haven't gotten the chance to see Ms. Swan in action yet." He waggles his eyebrows and I make a barfing noise.

"Don't be gross Bella. As if I'd ever hit on you."

"Thanks Jake. You really know how to build confidence."

He laughs and I join in, basking in the familiarity of my best friend and our snarky love-hate relationship. "Shit," I mutter when I see the time. "I have to go or I'm going to be late. Five year olds wait for no one."

"Wait. Wanna hang out tonight?"

"Yeah sure. Text me later."

"Cool. I'll bring the booze."

"I know you will."

He kisses my cheek and then he's gone.

It still amazes me that I can go over a year without seeing him, yet the second he's home it's as if he never even left.

Jake joined the army right out of high school. Never one to like school in the first place, he never wanted to go to college. His goal had always been to join the military and make something of himself, someone his father could be proud of. After serving our country for almost six years, I think he's done just that.

It's always hard when he leaves. Saying goodbye to your best friend and wondering if you'll ever even see them again has a way of fucking with your head. I've always supported him though, knowing that this is what he wanted to do with his life; where his passion burned brightest. I always send him letters, care packages, and have a disposable cell phone that's only for him when he calls from overseas. He's always supported me as well. He's been my rock, my shoulder to lean on, even when he's a half a world away.

Walking into my classroom, I'm happy and excited for the first time in days. None of my students have arrived yet, and I silently thank God for that.

"Hi Ms. Swan!" Ethan yells happily as he bounces into the classroom. His mother gives him a quick kiss and after a wave to me she's gone. Not long after, every other student is dropped off by their parents. Well…almost all…except for one. No Masen.

-o-

A knock at my door causes me to look up into the bright blue eyes of Riley Biers. Holy shit. I completely forgot about our date. I take a deep breath and try to keep the panic from my features. "Hey Riley," I say with a smile and beckon for him to come in. He smiles at me and walks right up to my desk. He removes his hand from behind his back and places a vivid red rose on my desk. "Thank you," I say sincerely, appreciating the gesture. I feel terrible for completely forgetting about him when he was obviously thinking about me.

"Ah, don't thank me yet." He removes his other hand and places a red apple on my desk as well. I giggle like a little girl and pick up both. I arch an eyebrow at him and he lets out a booming laugh. "Now, Ms. Swan, you can thank me."

"Thank you so much Mr. Biers. That was very sweet of you."

"So…are we still on for tonight?"

"Um," I hesitate for a second, wanting to tell him 'no'. I tell myself I only hesitate because Jake is home, but my heart won't believe that it's the only reason. I tell my heart to shut the fuck up and answer him. "Yeah of course. What time will you be by? I'll make sure I'm presentable."

"You look far more than presentable right now, Bella. You look beautiful already." He gives me a sweet smile and I can't help but return it. He winks at me before telling me what time. "I'll be here around five, okay? Early dinner and then a surprise. How does that sound?"

"Sounds great. I'll see you then."

I whip out my phone and text Jake.

**Hey, sry forgot I had plans tonight. Hang out tmrw?**

**Naked plans?**

His reply makes me roll my eyes.

**No but I'm sure your plans for tonight will involve nakedness. Have fun and remember: wrap it before you tap it.**

**That's disgusting Bella. Call me tmrw.**

Jake's texts make me laugh and forget all about why I hesitated. I just hope the amnesia lasts.

-o-

I hear another knock about an hour later and I smile as I zip the little black dress Alice picked out for me during the summer. Strapless and short, it's the quintessential dress every woman needs to be instantly sexy, at least according to Alice. "I'll be right out," I call from the closet and feel really silly when he says nothing.

I quickly fix my hair, making sure there are no stray hairs ruining the simple side pony hairdo I threw together, and step out of the closet. I hear a sharp intake of breath and smile as I look up. I can literally feel my mouth pop open in shock and my gasp is so loud, I might as well have screamed it.

"Edward," I breathe out his name and watch his eyes widen even more at the breathy sound of my voice.

"Uh, I'm…" he stutters and runs a hand threw his hair and I can visibly see him gulp. "I'm going to go. You're obviously going somewhere."

"No!" I say far too quickly. "Um, was there something you needed?"

"I was hoping to catch you before you got home…I wanted to talk about Masen…about yesterday, and why he wasn't in school today."

"Oh." I look at the clock and see that Riley is due to be here any second, but I nod my head anyway. "Okay. What do you need to discuss?"

He shuffles his feet and shoves his hands into his pockets. "You read the file? The entire thing?" I nod but don't say anything. "Okay." He lets out a big breath and sits down at one of the desks. Seeing his tall frame in one of the chairs is almost enough to make me laugh, but the look on his face kills that immediately. He looks so sad and broken. I want to give him a hug, but instead I walk to my desk and sit on the edge. "So…uh…fuck it shouldn't be this hard! You're just my son's teacher and you need to know this shit. I'm a terrible father."

"Edward…"

I'm about to comfort him but a cough at my door makes us both look toward it. "Hey," Riley says as his eyes dart between Edward and I. "Ah…are you ready to go Bella?"

Edward shoots out of the desk so fast it topples over. He rights it and his cheeks turn the cutest shade of pink as he mumbles an apology before practically running out of my classroom. Shit. I give Riley a small smile and nod my head. "I'm ready.

Where had the cocky bastard of the past few weeks gone? Who is this blushing mumbling klutzy Edward Cullen?

He gives me a strange look before nodding. "Are you okay? Is…everything okay? That looked kind of intense. Who was that?" His rapid fire questions make my head spin. He must realize that, because he shakes his head. "Sorry. It's none of my business."

"No, it's fine. That was Edward. He's a parent of one of my students."

"Shit. Did I interrupt a conference? I'm sorry Bella."

"No. Well…yeah, but it wasn't scheduled. He kind of just showed up. Don't worry about it." I give him a smile to let him know its okay and he smiles right back at me. My smile is fake of course, because nothing seems okay right now. Something is obviously going on with Edward, and more importantly Masen. I want to know so badly that I have to literally resist the urge to walk out on Riley right now, but I don't. I need to start being a professional teacher, and running out on a date and after the father of one of my students isn't going to help in that department. I clear my mind of Edward, and promise myself that first thing Monday morning, I'll work this entire thing out. Right now, I have a good looking guy who wants to take me out. I need this.

I wasn't lying, Riley is seriously handsome. Dark brown hair, light blue eyes, and a seriously sexy jaw line make up his handsome face. I can tell that he works out, seeing the muscles bunch and contract underneath his polo button up. His black slacks hug his legs in just the right way and I may have snuck a glance at his ass after he helped me into the car.

I take a deep breath and try to calm my nerves. I have no idea why I'm so on edge, but I do know it's not because of Riley, it's because of Edward.

"I had a really great time Riley. That was so much fun." It's not a lie. I did have a great time and hanging out with him was a blast. We went to an early dinner at a cute little Italian restaurant in Port Angeles where I had the best chicken broccoli alfredo that I've ever had in my entire life. I'm pretty sure I moaned throughout the entire meal.

"It was fun wasn't it? I still can't believe you've never been on a Ferris wheel." He smiles so that I know he's teasing and I smile right back at him.

"Hey! Not everyone is as worldly as you are, Mr. Fifth Grade."

Our banter has been this way the entire night and I've really enjoyed it. I haven't felt this comfortable around a guy in a long time; well except for Jake, but he hasn't been in the country so that doesn't count.

"I tend to forget that sometimes," he says with a grin. "But I'll try to remember the little people, like you." He walks me to my door and we laugh on the way up to my door.

"Little people huh?"

He nods. "Yeah, look at this." He places his hands on my hips and pulls my body against his. "See, you're pretty little compared to me." His eyes are dark and intense and I know he wants to kiss me. My stomach flutters with butterflies and my palms start sweating. I'm pretty sure I'm on the verge of hyperventilating when he leans in to kiss me. I turn my face away at the last second and his lips connect with my cheek instead of with my own. He pulls back afterwards with a sheepish grin on his face.

"Sorry about that…" he trails off his rubs his neck as he looks at the ground. "I shouldn't have done that. Too soon, huh?"

"Riley…" I have no idea what to say to him, so I just go with the truth; or as much of the truth as I'm willing to say out loud. "Remember when I told you about moving back home last year?" He nods and I continue. "Well…I didn't just move back here for the job…I actually had a good job offer in Phoenix." Understanding dawns on his face. "It was because of…"

"Stop," he says quietly as he cups my cheek in his hand. "I get it, okay? We can just be friends."

"I hope you don't think this is just a line Riley. I really do like you. I think you're an amazing guy and any girl would be lucky to have you." He rolls his eyes at me but smiles. "I hope you're not upset with me. I'd really love for us to be friends and this not be…well awkward."

He laughs and kisses my cheek once more. "It won't be awkward, I promise. But you know what?"

"What?"

"I'm going to wait, just in case. You let me know whenever you're ready and we'll do this again. Okay?"

I bite my lip and nod. I don't want to agree to anything, at least not out loud. I wasn't lying to Riley. I really am not ready for this; for a boyfriend or anything serious. But…I know that when I am ready, it won't be with him.

Unfortunately, my heart has already made up its mind as to who it wants. My head just refuses to accept its choice…because it's impossible.

"I'll see you at school okay?"

"Okay," I say and give him a parting hug and a kiss to his cheek. "Have a great weekend."

I watch him drive off and turn around to unlock my door. That's when every hair on the back of my neck stands up. It's not the 'holy-shit-someone-is-going-to-murder-me' type of hair raise. I know it's the 'Edward-Cullen-is-close-enough-to-molest' hair raise without even turning around. That's when his voice wraps around me like hot chocolate.

"Hello Bella."

I turn around slowly, tucking the random pieces of hair that have fallen astray behind my ear. "Hi."

"Who was that?"

My anger flares at his question. Who does he think he is asking me who Riley is? He has no right to ask me that. It's none of his business.

_You want it to be his business._

I ignore that and narrow my eyes at him. "None of your business Edward. Did you need something?"

His eyes are nothing but green fire as he steps toward me. "Yeah, I do need something. I need this."

He grabs my waist, the same way that Riley had done before, and pulls me against him. The difference? When Riley pulled me against him it was gentle and sweet and did nothing for me. When Edward did it? It was rough and needy and ignited something deep within me.

My thoughts are interrupted when Edward crashes his lips against mine. The kiss is hungry and hard and I can feel his erection pressing against my stomach. I place my hands on his muscular chest, and instead of pushing him away from me, I fist his t-shirt and pull him even closer. He groans against my mouth and I take the opportunity to slip my tongue past his lips.

Our tongues connect and dance together in messy kisses. My entire body feels hot, as if I'm burning from the inside out and the only way to quell the burn is to kiss Edward Cullen. I feel him begin to pull away and whimper in protest. He disengages me from and gently pushes me back. His chest is heaving almost as much as mine and I watch as he swallows once, twice, three times before speaking.

"Bella…we really need to talk."

* * *

**A/N: Whew, yes they freaking do! What is up with these two? They're giving me a serious headache. Reviewers will get a surprise this weekend! (The surprise won't be a full chapter when you're supposed to get a teaser again, sorry! Lol) It will either be a teaser of chapter 4 or…maybe some EPOV of that first morning? Let me know what you'd rather get along with your review and whichever gets the most votes is what it will be. I'll reply to all reviewers with the prize. Thanks so much for reading. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: All Twilight related content belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I just enjoy messing with her characters. :)**

**A/N: Everyone who reviewed chapter three received their Edward POV prize for reviewing. If you didn't receive your prize…then you have your PMs turned off, or you were not logged into an account – either way, I couldn't send it to you. If you didn't get it, turn on your PMs or log in and send me a message; I'll make sure you get it. :)**

* * *

We need to talk?

Noo! Forget talking, more kissing!

Edward laughs and shakes his head. "Bella, I think the talking should definitely come before the kissing. I'm sorry I did that," he frowns, "I shouldn't have."

Shit, I'm talking out loud again? This is becoming a problem. I decide to stop being a freak and actually, you know, _talk_. "Um…right. Okay, let's talk." I don't know about the whole "shouldn't have" part, but it definitely shouldn't happen…_yet_. Future kissing sounds better to me than never kissing again.

_You realize that you were just on a date right? With a different guy!_

I ignore her – my inner bitch, and instead focus on Edward.

We both stand there awkwardly and I fidget uncomfortably. "Uh…" I trail off, hoping he'll say something, cause honestly – I have no idea what to say. It works and he speaks.

"Can I…um…come in? If you don't feel comfortable with that, we could go somewhere? Maybe for coffee." He gives me a little smirk, and I know he's thinking back to that first day we met. Was it really only a month ago?

"Um…I have a Keurig. It's really as awesome as everyone makes it out to be. You can come in, I don't mind."

He smiles at me and it literally makes me happy. I have no idea why. I just know that his smile makes me smile and I don't care how stupid that sounds. Judge me all you want. I'd like to see you survive an Edward Cullen smile with your panties intact.

That's what I thought.

He nods at me and runs a hand through his unruly hair. He stares at me for a second and I realize he's waiting for me to let him in. Duh. I shake my head, hoping to get my brain to work, and turn around to unlock my door.

Edward follows me in and stands awkwardly next to the door.

"You can hang your coat there." I point to the coat rack and he nods before placing his coat on a hook. A weird sensation runs through me when I see his coat next to mine; our things meshing together. God, I'm a freak.

I walk toward the kitchen, and I can literally feel him behind me. I know he's there, without touching or seeing him. It kind of freaks me the fuck out, if I'm being honest.

"What would you like?" I ask as I show him my impressive Keurig stand.

He looks over the choices before deciding. "I'll take French Vanilla."

I smile. "That's my favorite."

"Mine too."

A few minutes later, we're both sitting in my living room, on opposite ends of my couch holding delicious cups of steaming coffee in our hands.

"This is awkward isn't it?" Edward suddenly asks. Even though it's really fucking awkward, I refuse to say so. Instead, I shrug at him and take a sip of my hot liquid gold. "Yeah it is," he answers his own question and follows it with a heavy sigh. "Fuck."

I look up at him and am mesmerized by his frustration. He stands up and begins pacing my living room, alternating between pinching the bridge of his nose and assaulting his already messy hair. His eyes are sad, confused, and afraid – all at the same time.

"Edward?" He looks at me like I'm holding a life preserver and he's drowning in the middle of the ocean. "How about you just start at the beginning? You don't have to tell me everything…I mean I already know enough from the file. Just tell me what you can okay? I won't push you." For a brief second, I feel like I'm talking to Masen – the five-year-old – instead of his father.

"Can you help me?" he asks with such sadness that I answer without even considering how I can actually help him.

"Yes."

"Okay." He nods and sits down – a lot closer to me than he was before. I'm not uncomfortable or afraid of his new seat…I'm actually excited by it. _God, I'm ridiculous. _"What do you know so far?"

"I know that you just moved to the area. Masen lives with you and Rosalie – who is his guardian?" It comes out as more of a question than a statement. I'm still fucking confused as to who Rosalie Cullen actually is. "The move was caused by a trauma and Masen is currently seeing a therapist and-" I don't get to finish my sentence because…

"I'm married," he blurts out and his eyes widen, as if he's as surprised as I am that he just said it. "Wait," he rushes out. "I didn't mean to blurt it out like that. We're legally separated, and I filed for divorce. I don't have a wife." He says the last sentence with such passion, anger, hurt, and sadness that I have the strongest urge to hug him and play with his hair.

"How about…you start with explaining some of that?" I suggest.

"Right," he nods and bounces his knee. "I married Tanya right out of high school. We were-"

"Tanya?" My shocked voice interrupts him. "Not Rosalie?"

He makes a disgusted face and furiously shakes his head. "No! Ugh, fuck. I've really let this all get completely out of hand. I'll explain her too. Just let me start here, okay?"

"Okay." Who am I to argue?

"Tanya and I were the typical cliché high school couple. I was the football star and she was the head cheerleader. We threw in another cliché when she got pregnant senior year. I married her immediately, because I thought she was the love of my life and because it was the right thing to do. I also joined the Marines. I wanted a way to support my family, a way that was my own and not help from our parents – who thought we were making a huge mistake by the way."

He pauses, and I'm sure it's to give me a bit of recovery time. That's a lot to fucking process. Edward knocked some girl up and married her…right out of high school. He joined the Marines. Edward is a soldier. Jesus Christ. And if Rosalie isn't Masen's Mom, who is she? His sister maybe?

"Are you okay?"

I nod and silently motion for him to continue with his story.

"We got married the summer after our high school graduation. I enlisted and Masen was born about a month before I left for boot camp." He smiles and I'm positive it's at the memory of Masen's birth. "It was so hard to leave him, Bella. It literally felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest when I said goodbye to him." I nod and agree, because even though I don't have any kids of my own, I feel a tiny pang whenever my kid's leave the classroom, even though I know they'll be back the next day. I can't imagine being a parent and saying goodbye to a newborn child for months at a time – especially the first months of their life.

"When I arrived at Parris Island…it was an _experience_. We were rushed right from the bus into this misfit barber room. They shaved my head in about thirty seconds. I almost cried right then and there." He shakes his head and laughs at himself, and I can't help it – I giggle a bit too. Picturing Edward crying over his hair is a pretty funny mental image. I keep it to myself that if I had to watch his hair be buzzed off I'd probably sob. Don't judge me, his hair is sexy. "Turns out, my hair was the least of my problems. It was so disorienting. I was away from my family for the first time, away from my new wife and my new son, and thrown into this fucked up situation. The night we arrived they kept us all awake and standing, all while screaming in our faces."

"Sounds fun," I joke, because it's getting really serious really fast, and I know this is the easy part. What am I getting myself into? I have my own issues that I'm dealing with. I'm not ready for any of this.

"It was a blast." He jokes back and gives me a small smile before delving right back into it. "After my boot camp, I was based at Camp Pendleton. Tanya wanted to stay in Seattle, but I convinced her that it would be best for us to live on base as a family. We'd be able to save money that way and of course I wanted to see Masen every day. She finally agreed – and acted as if I was asking something crazy of her as well. Things went okay for the first couple of months. And then…I went to Iraq."

I don't know if he expected me to gasp, or be in shock, or something other than straight faced and waiting for him to continue – but he stops regardless and waits for my reaction. "What happened when you went to Iraq?" I'm not shocked that he went – he's a Marine. Plus I guess I'm just used to the whole Iraq thing, considering my best friend has been there.

He frowns and shakes his head. "I didn't know anything had been happening at all. As far as I was concerned, I had a loving family at home waiting for me. I came home and everything seemed fine. It was tense for the first few days, but after that things slipped back into normal. I did three more tours over the years, and it got harder and harder to leave Masen and come home to him being so much bigger. I missed a ton of firsts. I decided not to re-enlist and was honorably discharged from the Marines. We moved back to Washington – back to Seattle because I wanted to be closer to our families again. Tanya flipped out, saying she and Masen were used to California and she didn't want to take him from what he always knew."

That kind of makes sense, but I say nothing, instead I let him continue with his story.

"I understood her point of view, but I didn't want to stay in California forever. It wasn't my home, and I didn't want it to be my family's home. I wanted us to have a fresh start together, away from the military. We moved back and found a house quickly thanks to my Mom. Everything seemed okay for about the first month. Tanya became increasingly more agitated as the weeks went on. She claimed she really missed her friends from California and I was never around because I was finishing my education and trying to get my degree."

"What degree did you get?" I interrupt.

"I didn't finish." He gives me a sad smile. "I let Tanya visit her friends because I felt bad. She came back happier than when she left, so I figured I'd made the right choice. It was a few weeks later and she wanted to visit them again, so I helped her pay for it and she visited again. She came back even happier than before. I planned a surprise vacation for the three of us to go down there and when I surprised her with it…shit hit the fan so to speak."

"What happened?"

"She started screaming at me and crying uncontrollably. She broke down and told me that the friend she'd be visiting wasn't her friend Victoria as I'd thought. It was her _friend_ Laurent. She told me that she'd been cheating on me with him for years – every single tour. Every time I sent her down there to visit with friends, she came back so happy because she'd spent the week fucking her secret boyfriend."

I gasp and stand up, completely shocked. "Edward…" I have no idea what to say. What do you say to someone who just told you they were cheated on for years?

_I don't know, what would someone say to you?_

"When did you find all of this out?"

"Two months ago," he says quietly. _Two months _ago? Holy shit!

"So wait…" I try to compose my thoughts before I speak. "Up until two months ago, you were married and living with your wife and son, until she dropped the bomb on you that'd she'd been cheating on you for years with some guy named Laurent?" He nods. "So you filed for a separation, with a divorce pending, and moved you and your son to Forks?"

"I needed to be surrounded by family. I was going to move in with my parents, but I couldn't stay in Seattle. Rosalie – _my sister in law_ – offered to let us stay here and to help me take care of Masen. My brother Emmett is also a Marine, he's on a tour right now. He's been gone for six months and won't be home for another three months – so we're helping each other out. She doesn't want to be alone and I can't be alone."

"Holy shit," I mutter and run my hands through my hair.

"I'm sorry Bella. I'm sorry for being an asshole and I'm sorry for everything I've done to you in a short…month." He frowns and shakes his head. "I'm sure I seem like an asshole, coming on to you before with the coffee date and you thinking I'm married – then to find out I'm separated and kissing you. That's not a good impression at all."

"Wait." I tell him because I seriously need time to process. "What happened with Tanya? Doesn't she want to see Masen?"

His eyes are like green fire again when I ask him that question. "No. She wants nothing to do with him or with me. She wants to be with Laurent, who moved to Seattle to be with her." He raises his eyebrows at me, clearly letting me know that's another reason he chose Forks over Seattle. "She told me she'll sign the divorce papers as soon as she receives them and she also told me to include a form for her to give up her parental rights to Masen."

I gasp and tears quickly fill my eyes. "What?"

He nods slowly and his knuckles are white, that's how hard he's squeezing his fists together. "His mother – his only parent for months at a time when I was away; the only constant in his life – wants nothing to do with him anymore. She just wants to be free, and live her life with her true love. Can you fucking believe that?" He shakes his head. "All of the shit she's put him through has come up in the two therapy sessions he's had so far. She told Masen to call him Daddy." His jaw clenches and his eyes water. "She told my fucking son to call another man Daddy, and when he refused, she'd punish him and call him a bad boy. That's the real reason she wants nothing to do with him – he interferes with her new relationship."

He hangs his head in his hands and I scoot a little closer and begin rubbing soothing circles against his back. He sighs and lifts his head, quirking an eyebrow at me. "You can attack-kiss me but I can't rub your back?" I ask him with an arched eyebrow and he starts laughing uncontrollably. After a few minutes he settles down into a few short giggles – yes Edward Cullen _giggles_.

"Thanks," he says with a satisfied sigh. "I needed that."

"Are you okay?"

He nods and grins at me. "I'll be fine. I should go. I didn't mean to uh…mess up your date night," he frowns and his eyebrows draw together. "Sorry about the uh, kiss too."

"Don't apologize for that."

He looks surprised but smiles. "Okay. So um, I'll see you Monday?"

"Yeah," he stands up and I walk him to the door. "Wait," I stop him by his shoulder. "Why wasn't Masen in school?"

"He wasn't feeling well; I think he has a little cold."

"Oh." I'm almost grateful that he's sick and didn't miss school because of his father's issues with me, and then I realize how fucked up that is and stop that line of thinking. "I hope he feels better." I kind of want to bring him by my famous chicken noodle soup, but I don't know how inappropriate that'd be considering everything.

"Thanks. I'll pass on the sentiment. He does miss his teacher. He tried coming over here earlier when he saw you come home." He laughs and shakes his head. "I had to physically restrain him. I thought he was going to have a meltdown. You've had quite the effect on him."

I blush and smile. "He's had quite the effect on me as well. Maybe I'll stop by to see him tomorrow. I make a famous chicken noodle soup that works some serious magic for colds." I guess I don't care about the inappropriateness then?

"Okay, that'd be great. So maybe I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, maybe you will."

-o-

"What do I do?" I practically whine to my best friends.

"First of all, you need to explain all of this shit again. I can't even…" Jessica shakes her head and Alice nods. "I agree," Alice says. "I need a repeat."

I roll my eyes at the two of them. "It's a long story. Do I seriously need to repeat myself?" They both give me blank stares and I know that I will in fact have to repeat myself. I signal our waitress and order myself another coffee, because I'm going to fucking need it. I take a bite of my pancakes to buy some time.

When Jess huffs for the third time, I figure it's time to speak.

"Edward is a divorced ex-Marine whose wife enjoyed cheating on him every time he was out of the country. She also exposed their son to her loser boyfriend and confused the poor kid beyond belief and put him through hell. When Edward came home for good and they moved back up here, she visited him for week-long vacations and continued cheating on him. When Edward found out, he confronted her and they got legally separated. He's currently waiting for her to send back the divorce papers and guess what? She now wants parental termination papers as well, and told Edward she basically wants nothing to do with him or Masen, ever again."

"Holy fucking shit," both of my best friends say in unison as they stare at me wide eyed.

"I know."

"So…you didn't see any of this in his school file?"

I shake my head. "No, the second I saw Rosalie Cullen, the jealous bitch in me slammed the folder shut. When I actually read it though, all I knew was that Edward was divorced and Masen had gone through a trauma. I had no idea it was this."

"Or that he was still legally married? Or…separated," Alice huffs. "Whatever."

"Right," I sigh and take a sip of my coffee.

"Damn Bella. You are a drama magnet." Alice elbows Jessica in the boob. "Ow!" she whines. "What? She is! Bella, you have to admit it. First all of that shit with James and now this shit with Edward."

She must see hurt flash across my features because she's quickly by my side. "Fuck! I am a terrible friend." I shake my head but she continues. "I really am. I'm sorry. You know I have no verbal filter. It's why we're best friends." I laugh at that. It's true. We suffer together.

"I know that this whole Edward situation is unnecessary drama in my life. I know I said I wanted nothing but normal and drama free, but…"

"There's something there?" Alice fills in for me.

I sigh and nod. "Yeah, I can't explain it. It's just…I don't know." I cross my arms on the table and bury my head in them.

"Maybe it's because you guys have something in common? You know…his reason for divorce…your reason for moving home…" Alice trails off and I shrug, not really wanting to delve into that right now…or ever.

"What about Riley?" Jessica's question makes me lift my head.

"I don't know. The date was fun and he's a nice guy, but…I can't see it going anywhere."

"And with Edward you see it going somewhere?"

I think about Alice's question.

Do I see it going somewhere with Edward? I've only known him for a month. Hell, if I'm being honest, I've only known him – the real him – for a few hours. Everything he told me, that's Edward. Not the cocky bastard messing with me, not the guy who drops Masen off at school and picks him up, and not the guy who attacks me with the best kiss of my life. The real Edward was the guy sitting in my living room, telling me his secrets – telling me his life. I only know a sliver of that life, but I want to know it all; I want to be a part of it. "Yeah," I answer honestly. "I want to know him."

"Well…that's okay. Just get to know him for now, and let him know you – all of you. Be…friends?"

I look at Jessica like she's crazy. "What?" she asks defensively. "You can be friends."

"Yeah," I nod. "We can be friends."

I think.

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**A/N: I don't know about the whole friendship thing, what do you guys think? Reviewers get a teaser of the chapter five. There may or may not be kissing involved… Friends kiss right? No? ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: All Twilight related content belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I just enjoy messing with her characters.**

**A/N: Everyone who reviewed received their teaser. Everyone was very, uh, enthusiastic about that. LOL. Let's see what happens with these two, mkay?**

* * *

_Just fucking knock_, I scold myself. I've been standing at Edward's front door for the last five minutes. I probably look like a stalker.

_No, just an idiot._

Just as I'm about to knock, the door opens. For about half a second, I panic, thinking a ghost opened the door, because no one is standing there. I hear a small giggle and look down, pleasantly surprised to see Masen's smiling face. "Hi, Ms. Swan!" he says happily with a wave. "Come inside my home!"

I laugh at his exuberance. "Where's your Dad?" Just because I'm his teacher, doesn't mean I'm going to go strolling into Edward's house, even if I was invited in. To me, a five-year-olds invitation doesn't mean enter.

"Hello Bella," Edward's smooth voice greets me before I see him. He steps into the doorway and smiles at me sweetly. "Would you like to come in?"

I nod and step forward, handing him the Tupperware bowl full of my magical soup. He scoops Masen up with his free hand, positioning him on his hip. He nods his head for me to follow and I do. He places Masen at the table and pulls out a chair for me. "Here you are Ms. Swan," he says with a wink. I can feel my blush spread across my face and I inwardly curse it. I can see that he's fighting his smirk and it makes me want to smack him and kiss him at the same time. "Will you be joining us for lunch? I hear the soup is delicious."

He puts three bowls on the table without waiting for my answer. "Uh…"

"Please stay and eat with us!" Masen looks so hopeful, that I really can't say no. "Sure," I say with a smile and he beams at me.

Once we all have our soup, Masen digs in. "Wow this is so good!"

"Thank you," I smile at him. He's the sweetest little kid in the world.

"You're a good cook, Ms. Swan. My Daddy can't cook." He frowns and then his facial features morph into shock. He looks quickly to his father, trying to judge if he's in trouble. Edward guffaws and it relaxes him immediately. "My Auntie Rose can cook, but only breakfast stuff."

"All true," Edwards says with a nod. "All I can cook is toast. The only edible meal my sister can make is breakfast."

"I could show you how to cook a few simple dinners," I suggest without thinking. My eyes widen in surprise at my own words. "I mean…um…if you want…" I'm about to back track and withdraw the offer, but Edward smiles at me.

"That'd be great. I'd love that, really."

"Okay," I say with a shrug while I internally freak out. That would guarantee me a few hours of Edward on more than one occasion. Friends help each other cook, right?

I notice Masen's head slumping to the side and arch an eyebrow at Edward before nodding toward his son. "Tired buddy?" Edward asks. Masen shakes his head furiously, claiming he's not tired at all. We share a knowing smile – Masen is exhausted. I've had him in my class long enough to know that his head always slumps to one side when he's getting sleepy. He does it right before naptime every day in school.

"I think you're tired Masen," I say softly as I brush his hair back from his forehead. He hums in contentment, closing his eyes and nodding in agreement. "How about you go and take a nap? I promise I'll be here when you wake up." I bite my lip, realizing I just promised to be here when he woke up. That could be an hour or more. I look to Edward, and let out a small gasp when I see the intense look he's giving me. I think something's wrong; or he's pissed at me…until he smiles and nods.

"Promise?" Masen asks and going with Edward's initial nod, I promise him.

"I promise."

"Okay," he yawns and holds his arms out to his dad.

"I'll be right back," Edward whispers as he lifts him into his arms.

-o-

"Hey."

Edward's voice startles me and I visibly jump. Edward chuckles lightly and I narrow my eyes at him. He holds out his hands defensively and shrugs. "Sorry?" he says it like a question and doesn't look sorry at all.

"Sure you are."

He laughs harder and walks toward where I'm standing in front of the fireplace. "Where was this?" I ask as I point to one of the pictures on the mantel.

He smiles at the picture and picks it up, examining it closely. "This was on base, the first day that we moved in." He sighs and shakes his head before removing the back of the frame. "Look at how happy I am, and look at that smile on Masen's face. But look at this…" He removes the picture from its frame and unfolds it. The piece that was folded and hidden contains a beautiful strawberry blonde woman. Well…she'd be a lot prettier if she didn't have that ugly scowl plastered to her face. How anyone could scowl with Masen on their hip and Edward's arm around them is beyond me.

He chuckles darkly, all humor gone from his laugh. "I should've known then and there, I mean look at her, she's fucking miserable." He frowns and shakes his head, taking the picture back and folding it up, removing her from the picture and in his head, probably their lives.

"Hey," I whisper softly when he continues to stare at the picture now back on the mantle. He doesn't respond, so I place my hand on his forearm. He jumps slightly and lets out a nervous laugh. "Sorry," he says with a small smile. "She just…" he shakes his head and sighs.

"I know."

He raises his eyebrows at me. "I don't mean to be rude, truly, but you don't know. You have no idea what this is like. You feel like…"

"You're worthless?" I fill in for him and his eyes widen.

"Yeah," he says with a nod. "How did you…"

"I know exactly how you feel, because I've been through it."

He takes my hand and leads me to the black leather couch in the center of the living room. _Ungh_, Edward Cullen sitting on a black leather couch is fucking sexy. "Bella?" Edward says my name with a smirk and I realize that I've probably spaced out.

"Huh?"

He laughs and repeats himself. "I said tell me what happened to you. Please?"

I bite my lip and watch in awe as Edward reaches toward my face with his hand. He touches my bottom lip with his thumb and gently pulls it from between my teeth. "Don't bite your lip Bella. I get the strongest urge to kiss it better."

_Oh, fuck._

I nod dumbly and he removes his thumb from my lip. I feel like crying when the skin-to-skin contact ceases.

"I…um…" I cough and take a deep breath, steeling myself to deal with this James shit once and for all. "I was cheated on, by my fiancé."

His eyes widen comically before they harden. He looks pissed. He's pissed at me? For being cheated on?

"Who in their right fucking mind would cheat on a beautiful creature like you?" His skin makes contact with mine again, this time his palm to my cheek. His gaze is intense and it lingers, causing me to squirm under it. "Sorry," he mutters and removes his hand. "Go on."

Go on with what? Oh! Right.

Edward Cullen makes my brain stop functioning.

"I just recently moved back home – here; to Forks. I went to Arizona State and that's where I met James during freshman year. I thought he was amazing. He was the quarterback and I was this geeky girl that he was intrigued by for some reason. Our relationship progressed over the four years of school and he proposed after we graduated. I said yes because I thought I loved him. He was all I'd known boyfriend-wise. It's not that easy to get dates in high school when your dad is the police chief."

Edward cracks a grin at that and I laugh a bit at the memory of my father cleaning his guns in front of potential boyfriends, effectively scaring the shit out of them and making them flee.

"I came home from a job interview to find him in bed with someone that I thought was my friend. I guess I didn't intrigue him anymore. Actually, I'm pretty sure I never really intrigued him. I later found out that he'd been fucking Kate – one of my best friends – throughout our entire relationship."

His jaw pops open and I nod. "Yeah, so…I know what you've gone through. I was just lucky enough to find out before I said I do." I shrug. "When I moved home last year I got the open position at Forks Elementary and here I am." I try to give him a small smile, but all of the old emotions – the ones I thought I'd left behind in Arizona along with James – begin assaulting me.

Worthless. Not good enough. Ugly. Unsatisfying.

"You are none of those things Bella Swan."

Shit, there I go, talking out loud again.

"I…" have no clue what to say, so I shut my mouth and shake my head.

"C'mere," he mutters as he pulls me closer. Our thighs touch, but that's not enough for Edward. He grips me by my hips and pulls me onto his lap until I'm straddling him. I hope he can't hear my heart pounding. "Listen to me Bella…are you listening?" He grabs my face in his hands, effectively caging me in. I nod, letting him know that I'm listening.

"You are not worthless. He was not worthy. You are more than good enough, you're fucking fantastic. He's not good enough to be the chewed fucking gum on the bottom of your shoe. You are the exact opposite of ugly, Bella. You're fucking beautiful. I swear to God on everything that I love…you are the most gorgeous woman I've ever seen in my entire life. I'm sure James is the ugliest fucking soul on this Earth, based just on what he did to you. Unsatisfying? Bella…kissing you yesterday was the most satisfying act I've ever fucking committed. Kissing you is better than doing anything else with anyone else. I'm sure he left you unsatisfied. I'd never do that. You deserve to be worshipped. You deserve…everything. So don't you let that fucker mess with your head. Got me?"

Tears are streaming down my face because fuck me, Edward Cullen is just…

Every word he said to me was said with such passion that I couldn't deny that every bit of it was the truth. How did this man…this man that I barely know, practically erase years' worth of hurt, frustration, and feelings of self-doubt in one speech?

"Are you okay?" he asks just above a whisper.

I swallow and nod, staring directly into his emerald eyes. I watch closely as he licks his lips, his eyes darting from mine, down to my mouth, and then back up to my eyes again. I lick my own lips and watch as his eyes blaze. I watch in awe as his green eyes darken. His fingers move from my face into my hair and he sighs as he runs his hands through my locks. I tense when his hands move to my shoulders, and relax when he starts rubbing my aching muscles. "Bella?" His hands are now at my hips and I sigh when his fingertips move in soothing circles directly on my skin.

I nod and he gives me a small smile, slowly moving his hands and not stopping until they're planted firmly on my ass. He gives my ass a small squeeze, testing the waters as he watches me carefully. I bite my lip to hold back my moan and he shakes his head slowly, removing one hand from my ass to pull my lip from my teeth again. "What did I tell you about that lip Bella? Now I have to kiss it better."

I shiver from his words, loving the deep tone of his voice. He leans forward slowly, and it's way too slow for my liking. I mimic his hands earlier position, placing mine on either side of his face and pull him toward me. I gently place my lips against his and let them meld together. I lather his lips with tiny kisses, moving my hands from his face into his hair. Instead of softly running my fingers through his hair, the way he did to mine, I grip his hair in my hands, giving it a light tug.

"Fuck," he mutters against my lips, resuming his hands earlier position on my ass – squeezing firmly this time while simultaneously pulling me closer to him. "I've fucking thought about this every day Bella; ever since…damn…ever since that first goddamn morning." He moves his lips from mine and trails them down my neck, sucking on my collarbone. I moan and grind down against him, feeling his erection press against me – right where I need him most.

"Edward…" I groan out his name when he nibbles at my skin. "More…I need…more," I all but beg him. I feel him grin against my skin.

"Yeah? You want more?"

I'm about to say yes; I'm about to tell him that I want him to strip me naked and fuck me senseless because he's driving me crazy…until…

"Dad! Don't hurt my teacher! Get offa her! I'll save you Ms. Swan!"

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**A/N: I hope this chapter answered some questions for you. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. Reviewers get a prize in their inbox. It may be some EPOV of what just happened there, or it might be a teaser from chapter 6… ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: All Twilight related content belongs to SM. I just enjoy borrowing her characters and messing with them. ;)**

**A/N: I just wanted to say thank you so much for all of the reviews and support for this story. They really do make my day. I'm glad you're all enjoying the fuckery that is coming out of my head, lol. Reviewers today will get a prize in their inbox (as always, am I right?), so make sure you review! (Also make sure you're logged in and your PMs are enabled, otherwise I won't be able to send you your prize!)**

* * *

Edward and I both freeze at the sound of Masen's voice.

_Shit. Shit. Shit._

What the fuck do I do?

I look at Edward and find no comfort in his blank stare. He looks just as fucking confused as I do. I kind of want to use my position to knee him in the balls, if I'm being honest. I mean, it's _his_ kid; shouldn't he take the lead here?

"Daddy! I said let her go! That's my teacher, not yours!" Masen's angry little voice finally seems to break through Edward's haze and he gently moves me off of him, sliding me to an empty cushion on his right side. "Ms. Swan," Masen says quietly as he walks toward me. "Are you okay?" He frowns as his eyes roam over me and I don't know whether to laugh or cry at his obvious real concern. He sits down next to me and places his hand on my thigh. "Did Daddy hurt you? I'll put him in timeout and Auntie Rose will hurt him!"

I choke out a laugh and place my hand over his. "I'm okay Masen. Daddy wasn't hurting me."

His face morphs into one of confusion as he looks in between both of us. "I heard you crying Ms. Swan. That noise you was making. Sometimes Daddy makes it in his sleep and I know he's having a nightmare. You said 'ahh!'"

I look to Edward whose face is a deep shade of red right now. I worry for a second, wondering what his nightmares are about – what's so bad that it makes him wake up screaming. After he sits there for another full minute in silence, I narrow my eyes at him, silently telling him to _man the fuck up_ and _speak the fuck up_. He clears his throat and I think finally, _finally_ he's going to say something. He opens his mouth and…closes it; without saying a word. My anger flares up and I literally want to do nothing more than deliver a swift kick to his nuts.

"No honey," I say in the calmest voice I can muster. "I wasn't crying. Daddy and I were playing a game. It's a grown up tickle game." A little V forms between his eyebrows and I know he's processing what I just said and more likely than not trying to figure out how full of shit I am.

"Grown up game?" he asks and I nod. "Do you play with other people's Daddies? Like Braden's Daddy?"

"No!"

Yeah, that was Edward. Guess who fucking found their voice all of a sudden? I whip my head around and stare at him. His eyes are full of fire and his jaw is tense. He takes a deep breath and looks at Masen's frightened face. What the fuck is his problem?

"Sorry buddy," he says as he holds out his arms. Masen climbs up onto his lap and snuggles against his chest. "I didn't mean to yell like that. I'm not mad at you okay?" Masen hesitates but nods. Edward grabs him gently by the chin, forcing him to look up at him. "Hey," he says softly. "I wasn't yelling at you, okay? I was just surprised. What are you?"

He places his forehead against his son's and Masen sighs. "I'm your good boy," he mumbles quietly with a small smile on his face. "You're my what?" Edward asks. "Your good boy," Masen says a little louder. Edward frowns and sighs, shaking his head. "I'm sorry buddy, I couldn't hear you at all…you know what that means…"

He puts Masen on his back in the cushion between us.

"That means it's…TICKLE TIME!"

He attacks Masen's little body, tickling him all over. Masen shrieks and tries to wiggle away. "Daddy! Ah! Stop!"

"I can't stop Masen. Not until you tell me what you are!" He never lets up with his tickling and Masen is gasping for air.

"I'M…YOUR…GOOD…BOY!"

"You are?" Edward asks as he stops tickling him. Masen nods, a brilliant smile on his face. "That's right. You're my good boy. You're the best kid in the world; don't let anyone ever tell you anything different. Got it, soldier?" Masen salutes his Dad and Edward grins down at him. "I love you," he says before planting a sweet kiss to his forehead.

"Love you too, Daddy." Masen wraps his arms around Edward's neck and squeezes him for all he's worth.

I suddenly feel like I'm intruding on a special moment and clear my throat. They both look over at me, all smiles, so I give them one back. "I think I'm gonna go." I don't know who looks more upset at my announcement, father or son, and I have to stifle a laugh.

"I'll see you on Monday, okay bud?" I ask Masen as I ruffle his hair.

"Okay Ms. Swan!"

Luckily, _the incident_ seems to be the farthest thing from his little five-year-old mind and I breathe out a sigh of relief. That's all I need, one of my students telling the rest of them about the grown up game I play with his Daddy.

"When will I see you?" Edward asks me, smirk planted firmly in place. He's teasing me with his stupid sexy facial expressions, so I decide to tease him back.

I make my face confused, scrunching my nose and pursing my lips. "Um…" I trail off and tap my chin with my index finger. "I don't know? I'm sure I'll see you when you drop off Masen." I shrug as if I don't really care when I see him next, and I hope he's buying this bullshit.

He frowns for a second, and I'm about to fist pump in victory, when he smirks again. He places Masen down on the couch and hands him a book from the coffee table. "Okay Ms. Swan. Let me walk you out." When we reach the door, he hands me my jacket while simultaneously helping me into it. "I look forward to seeing you Monday, Ms. Swan," he whispers into my ear. "Enjoy the rest of your weekend." I swallow and nod. He opens the door and just as I'm about to step out into the October air, he pulls me back by my arm. "And Ms. Swan," I look up into his eyes and see he has them set on _smolder_, aka melt Bella's panties right off her body. "Next time you want to stalk me through your window, do it in more than a fucking tank top and panties, all right? I'd rather not be _up_ all night, if you know what I mean."

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

_Fuck yes_, I know what he means and _goddamn_, his stupid sexy ass. Now I'm going to do nothing but think about that for the rest of the weekend, you know, Edward being _up_.

I narrow my eyes at him and decide to give him something to think about until Monday too. "You're right, Mr. Cullen. I won't wear a tank top and panties, I'll wear nothing." I bite my lip and wink, making sure to sway my hips more than necessary as I walk away, hoping it'll drive him crazy. I hear him groan and I smirk. _Bingo!_

-o-

I spent the rest of my weekend in an Edward Cullen stupor. Every other thought I had was about his dick. I know, right? It was torture.

And now, here I am in a classroom full of five-year-olds thinking about how much I thought about his dick. That's just…wrong.

"Ms. Swan?"

I look up to see Brian raising his hand. "Yes Brian?"

"I really hafta go potty."

"Okay, go ahead."

He runs as fast as he can to the little bathroom on the opposite end of the room. I should really tell him to not run, but when a kindergartener has to go, _they gotta go_; which is why we have our own private bathroom.

Once Brian is back in his seat, I stand up and address the entire class. "Is everyone done with their morning work?" Everyone nods. "Okay, bring your paper up to the front of the room and place it into the morning work bin." Each student comes up quietly and places their papers full of traced As. "Great job," I praise them with a smile on my face. "Now…did everyone get their permission slips filled out?"

There's a lot of furious nodding and bright smiles. "Good! Everyone bring those up next." They do as I say and once they're all seated I sit back down at my desk to look through them, making sure each student has them filled out properly.

My eyes widen when I look at Masen's paper.

The box next to "check here if you'd like to be a chaperone" is checked.

My heart starts pounding in my chest. Edward is coming on the field trip?

And then my stomach rolls because…what if it isn't Edward? What if Rosalie is coming? I mean sure, it's not as bad of a thought now that I know she's not married to Edward and I don't have to hate her fucking guts, but still. It would be incredibly awkward. _"Hi, I'm your nephew's teacher, but I also dry humped your brother-in-law last weekend. Nice to meet you." _Yeah I think not.

-o-

I sigh in relief when I glance at the clock and see that it's almost three o'clock. Today has just all around sucked. Not only did I completely obsess over the chaperone mystery, but two kids in my class got sick. And by got sick, I mean they threw up all over the classroom. Richie threw up because he had a stomach ache, and Mackenzie threw up when she saw Richie throw up. To top it all off, the janitor took half an hour to actually come and clean up the damn mess.

Yeah, I'm not in the best mood.

The clock hits three and parents begin trickling in.

I'm talking to Scotty's father when I feel the tingles. Spider Man has his spidey sense – I have my Edward Cullen tingles. I don't even need to look to the door to know he's there, but I look anyway. He gives me a small wave and a wink and I feel myself blush. Mr. Donovan looks at me funny, probably wondering why his son's teacher is blushing while they talk about the alphabet.

When all of the parents are gone I turn around to see that Edward is still here. I watch him talk to Masen and Eric as they explain their day. Masen and Eric are the best of friends and when Edward smiles down at the two of them I know he's happy that his son has someone. He looks over to me then and I wave him over to my desk.

"Hey," he says as he runs his hand through his hair.

"Hi," I bite my lip on instinct and my breath catches when I see his eyes darken.

"Bella…" he groans out. "Do you need me to kiss that better?"

I say nothing, instead I look behind him at the pair of kids who are highly interested in the ant farm I brought in today on the other side of the room. I quirk an eyebrow at him. "Maybe?"

"Well then…" he grabs my hand and pulls me toward the closet beside my desk. Once inside he leaves the door open but shoves me against the wall beside it. "I will." He presses his lips against mine firmly and slides his hands down to cup my ass. My ass receives a hard squeeze and I moan against his lips. He licks my bottom lip, silently asking for entrance and I open up to him willingly.

When our tongues connect, I swear I just can't control myself. The taste of him literally drives me crazy with lust. I run my hands across his chest, over his shoulders, and then slide them up his neck into his hair. I tug on it roughly and pull his face harder against mine at the same time that he pulls my body into his. We both want, _no need_, to be closer.

"Ms. Swan?" I hear Eric's frightened voice call out to me and I pull away instantly.

_Am I seriously making out in my classroom? _

I glare at Edward before exiting the closet. "Yes, Eric?"

"Where were you?"

"Um, I was in the closet. Masen's Daddy had to help me get some boxes of supplies for tomorrow." Luckily Edward exits the closet a second later with boxes, helping to establish my lie. Not even ten seconds later, Mrs. Yorkie enters the classroom. Jesus. What if she'd walked in and found me in the closet with a student's father?

The second Mrs. Yorkie leaves with Eric; I turn around and face Edward. "What the hell, Cullen!" I can tell he's trying to fight off a smile. "It's not funny! What if she came in here and caught us?" He looks at Masen, making sure he's still preoccupied with the ant farm and steps toward me. He places both of his hands on the sides of my face and smiles at me.

"Bella, I'm sorry. I just…couldn't keep my hands off of you. Whenever you bite down on that plump little lip of yours, it's…" he leans in, running his nose along the column of my neck. "Irresistible." I shudder when I feel his hot breath against my skin. "Am I forgiven?" His lips wrap around my earlobe and he sucks lightly. I groan and he laughs. "I'll take that as a yes."

I shove him away from me and try to glare at him. He licks his lips and the fight drains out of me.

Stupid sexy man.

"Are you staying or are you done?" he asks me as I stare at his lips. "Bella?"

"Uh…what?" My cheeks heat up with a blush. I feel like such an idiot around him.

"Are you done for the day?"

"Oh! Yeah. Why?"

"Can I walk you to your car?"

Guh. He's so sweet.

"Sure."

-o-

"Masen! Slow down! This is just like a street, remember?" Edward calls ahead to Masen who's only a few steps ahead of us. As we near my car, I feel his hand on my lower back. I shiver. "You cold?" he asks me sweetly and I shake my head.

"This is me," I say when we're next to my car, even though I know he already knows what my beastly truck looks like. He frowns and I wonder why. "What's wrong?"

He gives me a smile and shrugs. "I don't really wanna say goodbye to you."

Gah!

_What do you say to that?_

"Oh."

_Something better than that!_

"Would you maybe…um…want to…I don't know…we could…I mean…" he stutters out in between grasping his hair and shaking his head.

"Ms. Swan?" I turn to face Masen, hoping Edward can compose himself before I end up laughing at him and hurting his feelings.

"Yes, Masen?"

"I'm having a date with my Grams tonight. She's coming over to have dinner with me and watch movies. I don't want Daddy to be lonely. You wanna have dinner with him?" He puts his hands on his hips and waits for my answer. I start giggling uncontrollably, looking between Masen's stern expression and Edward's shocked one. It's clear to me that he didn't put Masen up to it and is probably shocked that his five year old asked before he could.

I bend down and ruffle Masen's hair. "I think I'd love to have dinner with your Dad. I wouldn't want him to be lonely either." I look over my shoulder at Edward's relieved face and give him a smile. "If your Dad wants to have dinner with me, that is."

"I do!" He says louder than he probably meant to. "I mean…yeah, I'd love to." He coughs and shuffles his feet. "Mom will be here around six…is that good for you?"

This man is so confusing. One second he's being all…sexy and snarky, making my panties melt right off of me, and then the next he's shy and stuttering. I can't decide which side I like more, sexy Edward or shy Edward.

"Sounds great," I stand up and take his hand, squeezing it gently. "I really want to have dinner with you." I don't want him to think I'm only having dinner with him to please his five year old son. I'm having dinner with him to please myself.

_Wait, that didn't come out right. _

Edward gives me a breathtaking smile and blows out a breath. "Great. That's great. So I'll see you around six then."

"Yep," I nod. I really want to kiss him goodbye, but I don't think it's the best thing to do in front of Masen. When Edward's eyes blaze, I think he's thinking the same thing.

"Hey Masen," he calls to his son. "Look at that huge bird!" He points to the sky and Masen whips around quickly.

"Where? Where?" He asks excitedly as he looks around.

Edward places his lips against mine sweetly once, twice, three times, and then gives my nose a little peck. I start laughing when I remember how to breathe and Edward joins in.

Masen turns around with a scowl and his hands planted on his hips. "What's so funny? There's no bird Daddy!"

That only makes us crack up more.

-o-

"Help me!"

My best friends just stare at me as I demolish my closet.

"I don't see why we should help you," Jessica says with a shrug. "I mean, you haven't even kept us updated. Ali, I think we should make her suffer."

"I agree, but how to punish her?" Alice asks while tapping her chin. "Should we make her pick out her own outfit?"

"No!" I shriek, almost close to tears. I give them a pleading look, hoping they'll feel sorry for my pathetic ass. Alice frowns and I inwardly fist pump, knowing she's breaking. "Please. I need to look fabulous! I…really like him."

Jessica huffs and rolls her eyes. "Fine! But I'm only doing this so you get laid, and I expect juicy deets. Understood?"

I hold up two fingers. "Scout's honor."

"You were never a scout," Alice says accusingly.

"Shut the fuck up and find me an outfit."

-o-

Two hours later, I'm dressed in the perfect outfit according to my friends.

I check myself in the mirror for the third time in as many minutes.

Black skinny jeans, a white camisole, and a red cardigan complete my outfit. Jessica tried to get me into a pair of 'fuck-me-now' heels, but I won that argument, settling for a pair of simple black flats instead. I have nothing against fuck me heels at all, but I definitely don't whip them out on the first date.

First date.

Is this a first date?

My palms start sweating and I definitely look like I'm going to throw up. I take a few steps back and slump down onto my bed.

I mean, obviously I shouldn't be nervous – I've had my tongue down the guy's throat…more than once. But if this is a date…

God, I feel like I'm going to throw up.

The last time I went on a date was…never.

Well, unless you count Riley, which I don't.

James never took me out. We always spent time in my dorm or his apartment. I should've realized then that he wasn't treating me right, but like I've said, I don't have a lot of experience in the boyfriend department.

I don't have time to continue contemplating my lack of dating experience, because there's a loud knock at the door.

Yeah, _definitely_ going to throw up.

"Hey," I say shyly when I open the door.

Edward's eyes widen as they roam over me. "Wow," he breathes out. His face turns red, the color almost matching his shirt as he pulls on the collar. I smile at the fact that we're wearing the same color. "Bella…you look fucking amazing." He leans in and kisses my cheek, pulling a single white lily from behind his back and handing it to me.

"Thank you," I say softly, already feeling my blush creep up my neck. "This is really sweet." I smell the flower, closing my eyes when I inhale the lovely floral scent. When I open my eyes, Edward is looking at me with such intensity that I audibly gasp. "What's wrong?"

He shakes his head slightly and gives me a small smile. "Nothing. Are you ready to go?" He holds out his arm and I slip my right hand through it in answer. He's silent as he walks me to his car across the street and I laugh when I see Masen waving furiously from the window with an older woman – Edward's mother.

Edward sees what I'm laughing at and shakes his head as he laughs right along with me. Once we're both seated and on our way, he speaks. "I don't know who was more excited about tonight – my son or my mother."

"Are you saying _you_ weren't excited at all?" I ask teasingly.

He shakes his head before glancing my way. "I was very excited about tonight, in more ways than one." A cute blush covers his features yet he still waggles his eyebrows at me. God, this man is far too adorable and sexy for his own good. "How about you? Tell me your excitement for this evening, on a scale of 1 to 10."

"I'd say it was probably about a…one," I watch in amusement as he frowns. I try not to, but a giggle escapes me before I finish, "Hundred."

"Oh, you think you're funny Ms. Swan?"

"I think I'm pretty hilarious. I was really considering going into stand up, but I figured my superior intellect could be used in more profitable ways."

"I see," he nods. I can tell he's trying to play along and not laugh.

The rest of the ride is quiet, but it's not uncomfortable, it's actually really comfortable. I don't feel the need to fill the quiet with incessant chatter like I normally would.

I watch Edward hand the valet a hundred dollar bill and wonder how an ex-marine single father can afford to tip a valet a hundred dollars.

After we've been seated and ordered our drinks, I decide to find out.

"Edward?"

"Hm?" he asks without looking up from his menu.

"I don't mean to pry…and I hope this isn't rude…" He looks up and gives me a questioning stare. "Um…you tipped the valet with a hundred dollar bill." He nods and still looks confused. "God, this is going to sound so rude."

He laughs and grabs my hand. I'm suddenly really glad he decided to sit beside me in our cozy little booth and not across from me. "Bella, just ask me what you want to ask me."

"How can you afford to tip a hundred dollars for someone to just drive your car around the block?" I blurt out. My eyes widen and I cover my mouth. "I'm sorry. That did sound really rude. I guess the polite way to go about it would be to ask what you do for a living? You never did tell me."

Have I seriously made out with this guy twice and I don't even know what his job is?

"Well…like I said, I never got to finish my degree…" He gives me a sad smile and shrugs. "I'm just going to be one hundred percent honest here Bella. My family…my parents have money. I was left a trust fund by my grandparents that activated on my twenty first birthday. Luckily Tanya won't be getting a dime of that in the divorce." He laughs bitterly and shakes his head. "I'm talking about my ex-wife while on a first date."

Squee! He said this is a date.

I quell my inner teenager and bring out adult Bella.

I squeeze his hand reassuringly. "Edward," I sigh and shake my head, gathering my thoughts. "She's going to come up once in a while, it's unavoidable. It doesn't bother me. Whenever you need to talk…if you want to talk to me, we can talk about it."

He gives me a lopsided grin and my heart clenches in response. "Thank you Bella."

I want to ease some of the tension, so I joke. "So, you're a trust fund baby, eh?"

He scowls at me but laughs. "Yeah, I guess so. I was never the stuck up rich kid though, if that's what you're getting at." He narrows his eyes at me playfully. "I think that was a big reason I joined the Marines. I didn't want the easy way through life. I wanted to be taken down to my lowest point and then stand the fuck back up on my own, you know?"

I nod, because I get it.

"So…what do you do all day?"

He laughs. "Well…right now, these days I'm looking for a house of my own, here in town, and helping out Rosalie at her garage. I'm really good with my hands," he smirks and gives me another eyebrow wiggle that causes me to blush. "But my real passion right now, what's taking up most of my time, is starting this program for veterans."

My eyebrows raise and I lean closer to him. "Really?"

He smiles and nods, his eyes shining bright with excitement. "Yeah. I want to build a community center in Seattle. It'll be a help center of sorts for returning soldiers. There are places like that now, of course, but I want this to really…focus on the family as a whole. A lot of people forget that it's not just the Marines that have the difficult time being away and returning home."

I know exactly why he's so passionate about this. He wants to prevent what happened with his family from happening to others. "So you want to save marriages?" I smile at him and try to tamp down the jealousy that I feel bubbling inside me. Does he regret his marriage ending? Does he wish it worked out?

Edward studies my face and is about to say something before the waitress interrupts us. "Here's your ravioli," she says to me in a flat bored tone. I take my plate and mumble a quiet "thank you" before shuffling my food on my plate. "And here you are, Sir." She practically purrs the word Sir and I'm pretty sure she'd be humping his leg if we weren't in the middle of a crowded restaurant. I glare at her but she ignores it.

The one thing that's keeping me from backhanding this bitch is the fact that Edward has been doing nothing but staring at me the entire time. "Thank you," he says politely to the waitress as he caresses my cheek. "We're fine," he says, still not looking at her. I grin at his obvious dismissal as she huffs and walks away. Thank God we already have our food, I'm pretty sure mine would have an extra ingredient in it if it came out now.

"I want to save marriages and families from falling apart. There's so much we can do to help veterans and their families to make a soldier's transition home easier."

"Like what?" I ask, genuinely curious about his ideas.

"For one, we should start preparing the families for the vet's return, well before they come home. There will be a class for them to take where they'll learn everything that their Marine has gone through while he was away, so they know firsthand what they had to deal with on a day to day basis. We can teach wives to understand why it might be hard for a man to come home and not be the same as he was before he left…intimacy wise."

I scrunch my eyebrows together. "Was that, um, hard for you?"

He cuts his steak and gathers his thoughts. "Yeah," he laughs, "I guess you could say it was hard for us."

He looks at me and I raise a questioning eyebrow. His cheeks redden with a blush and I try my hardest not to smile. "We…uh…didn't have sex." My eyes widen. How could anyone not have sex with Edward; especially when he was gone for months at a time…risking his life in war torn countries? Hell, I wanna jump his bones right now. "My last two tours, when I came home, it just…didn't happen. I guess I blamed myself, thinking that it was something I was doing. Maybe I was making her uncomfortable or something, you know? But at the same time, I didn't really have the urge to make love to her, so when she didn't question it, neither did I. Now I know why she didn't want to, she was busy getting it elsewhere…and I know why I didn't either."

"Why?"

"I didn't love her Bella. I actually don't know if I ever truly loved her at all. I think it was a high school romance, a case of puppy love. When she got pregnant…I got swept up in doing the right thing. It was how I was raised. I don't think I've ever found true love…yet."

"Oh."

"I'm sorry. This is really heavy for a first date, isn't it?"

"No! I think it's great. I'm glad you're so open with me." I smile at him and kiss his cheek. "I…I don't think I've ever been in love either."

"James?" he asks.

"No. That wasn't love. It was…infatuation, more than anything else. I'd never had a real boyfriend before him and I just liked the thought of being with someone, of being loved." I laugh and shake my head. "Obviously he didn't love me, but at the time I thought he did, so I just assumed I did too. I mean, if you're with someone, you love them. At least that's what I told myself." I shrug and take a bite of my ravioli.

"You deserve to be loved Bella. You deserve someone who will love you with every inch of their heart."

He gives me an intense look, and I feel as if he's literally seeing right through me.

I gulp down a mouthful of water before I'm able to speak. "You deserve that too."

I bite my lip to keep from telling him that I want to be the one to give him everything he deserves. When he smiles a perfect crooked grin down at me, I feel like maybe he wants that too.

He leans in slowly, his eyes roaming from my eyes to my lips and then back again. I know he's going to kiss me, and I want it more than I've ever wanted anything else in my entire life. When his lips connect with mine, I feel a spark that spreads throughout my whole body. He opens his mouth to me, and I gladly enter. Our tongues swirl together and he tastes so fucking good I want to cry.

He slows the kiss down, finishing with a few tiny pecks before pulling back to look at me. "Bella," he sighs my name and runs his thumb across my lips.

"Ahem."

I look up to see our bitchy waitress glaring down at me.

"Would you like a refill, Sir?" She smiles at Edward and licks her lips.

_She is so not getting a tip._

* * *

**A/N: Damn, they're too freakin' cute. If you read any of my other stories, you know I recently had a lot of computer trouble, and lost all of my chapters. I had to re-write all three chapters for my stories…so it's been a tough week and a half, lol. Up next we have the field trip and some Masen birthday goodness. We also have Rosalie coming soon! EEK! Review for some EPOV of their sweet little date. ;) **


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: All Twilight related material belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I just like borrowing her characters. :)**

**A/N: All of your reviews seriously make me smile sososo big! They make my day. Thank you so much for the support. Everyone who reviewed received some EPOV from before their date and you got some more Masen and a peek at Esme. I hope you enjoyed it!**

**I'm sorry that this update has taken a while. I'm usually really good about updating in a week or less but…**

**I'm sure everyone has heard about hurricane Sandy. The east coast got hit pretty hard and I haven't had power for a few days here. Luckily, that's all my family and I had to deal with. Everyone is safe and that's all that matters to me. My thoughts and prayers are with other states that got hit much harder than us. **

**At the request of queen cullen0527, I'm issuing this warning: Do not eat or drink while reading. You may or may not giggle while reading which may or may not result in you choking and/or drooling on yourself.  
**

**Super long a/n, sorry! Let's get to Dadward and Teachella.**

**xox**

* * *

"So, spill it."

I sigh and pull my hair up into a messy bun.

"Come on Bella. I waited two days. _Two_!"

"She's right you know," Alice says with a shrug. "I don't know how long you thought she was going to wait. Two days is practically two years in Jess-time."

Jessica nods her head with a serious pout on her face.

"Fine!" I huff. I down a second shot because I'll need it to deal with these bitches. "What do you want to know?"

Jessica fires off questions.

"What was he wearing?"

"Did he like what you were wearing?"

"What'd you guys talk about?"

"Did he kiss you goodnight?"

"How hard was it to not throw him into your house and fuck his brains out?"

She gasps.

"Wait, did you fuck his brains out? I swear to God, Isabella Marie Swan, if you fucked his brains out and didn't call me the second he was out of your house I am going to kill you. Death by stiletto is not something you want to experience."

I gap at her for a full minute before finding my voice. "Hold on there, Katie Couric," I say with a laugh before downing another shot. What? I need to be drunk for this conversation, didn't you just hear her? "Let me answer these one at a time with no interruptions." I cock an eyebrow and they both shrug.

"He wore a red polo shirt and a pair of jeans that seriously hugged his ass perfectly." I feel the drool pooling in my mouth as I remember his outfit. "I'm pretty sure he liked what I was wearing, if his eyes widening tells me anything." They both smirk at me and nod. "We talked about a lot of stuff…" I trail off, not really wanting to into specifics of that just yet, maybe not ever. I feel very protective over Edward and our conversations, even to my girls. "He kissed me twice." I grin stupidly, like a teenager in love.

Both of them squeal and clap their hands together excitedly. "When did he kiss you?" Alice asks. I roll my eyes. I knew they wouldn't keep quiet and not interrupt.

"He kissed me at the restaurant and it was…so sweet and perfect." I sigh. "Until the stupid fucking waitress interrupted us so she could hit on Edward." I scowl and get up, placing our shot glasses in the sink. When I turn back around they're both staring at me.

"Were you jealous?" Jessica asks.

I give her the "fucking duh" look. "Of course I was jealous! She was hitting on him all night and acting like I didn't even exist."

"What did Edward do?"

I smile at Alice. "He ignored her the entire time. He acted like _she _didn't exist."

They both grin right along with me.

"He kissed me goodnight when he brought me home. Just a small peck on the lips…but God it was as if we made out for hours, that's how good I felt when he put his lips on mine." I touch my lips with my fingers as I remember. They're both looking at me weird, so I clear my throat and distract them. "So of course, that means I didn't drag him to my room and fuck his brains out. No need to attack me with stilettos Jess." I laugh and they join me.

"So…are you guys like…dating?" Jessica asks hopefully.

My smile falters a bit. "I don't know," I shrug and turn back around, suddenly finding my dirty dishes really interesting. Of course the bitches see through that.

"Bella," Jessica sighs. "Have you talked to him about it?"

"No," I say without turning around. "It's only been two days since our date. I haven't seen much of him, I've only seen him when he drops Masen off and picks him up." I dry the shot glasses and place them back in the shelf. I head for the living room and hear them follow me. I plop down on the couch and sigh. "He's not dropping him off tomorrow. He has a meeting in Seattle." I frown and cross my arms like a child.

They both laugh at me.

Bitches.

"I think you'll survive not seeing him for one day. Plus he's going on the field trip right?"

This brings a smile to my face. "Yeah, he's coming. He invited me to Masen's birthday party on Saturday too." I bite my lip to stop the goofy smile from spreading across my face again.

"I'm so happy for you Bella," Alice says as she hugs me. "This will all work out; I have a good feeling about this." I never bet against Alice and her feelings, so I smile brightly at her and nod. "Are we still on for Sunday dinner with Charlie?"

"Yeah, I'll pick you up at noon."

"Okay, then we're outta here."

Jessica comes up and kisses me on my cheek. "Text me as soon as you're laid. It's gonna happen this week, I can feel it!"

I laugh and shove them out of my house.

I look at the clock and sigh. Drinking until eleven on a school night is something I really need to stop doing.

I head up to my room and smile when I see familiar headlights coming down the street. I briefly wonder why he's always coming home so late, but my thought process stops when he exits the car. Even from this distance, he's gorgeous. I take my jeans off and slip on a pair of comfy booty shorts. I pull my t-shirt up over my head and sigh when I finally unhook my bra. I'm about to pull a tank top over my head but get an idea. I stand there, topless, until I see him turn around. He does a double take at my window and I start to giggle when I see him start across the street toward my house. My heart is hammering my chest, both excited and scared with his approach.

He stops suddenly and turns around. I see Rosalie in their doorway and squeak, quickly pulling a tank top over my head and darting toward my bed. I really hope Rosalie can't see as well as Edward can.

-o-

The bell rings and I look around the room for the third time. Still no Masen.

Just as I start to worry, the door to my classroom burst open and Masen comes running in.

"Hi Ms. Swan!" he says happily as he runs over to his cubby. He stuffs his jacket and backpack into the cubby hole. Two seconds later, Rosalie Cullen walks into my classroom. Holy fucking shit. She walks right up to me and extends her hand. "Hello Ms. Swan, we haven't met yet. I'm Rosalie Cullen, Masen's _Aunt_." I kind of cringe when she makes that fact known with emphasis. Edward obviously has a big mouth. I'll deal with him later.

"Of course, Mrs. Cullen; it's so great to meet you." I take her hand and shake it, refusing to wince when she squeezes a little too tightly. "I hope to meet your husband as well when he's home. I'd like to thank him for his service in person." Her eyes widen at the mention of him, clearly caught off guard, but she recovers quickly.

"Yes, it's great to meet you too. I'm sure Emmett would love to meet you as well when he's home, and I'll pass on your wishes."

I can tell we're both being overly polite, and honestly, pretty fake. I try to shrug it off and not let it bother me. She releases my hand and I turn toward my students, giving them most of my attention. However, I notice that Rosalie is lingering, so I put on my big girl panties and turn around to face her again. "Was there something else I could help you with?"

She looks up from the pictures on the wall that she was admiring with a smile; a drawing that Masen did of himself, her, and his daddy. "I was actually hoping you and I could grab coffee? Would you be able to get away today?"

I think quickly. "I could have a sub come in during lunch, or there's always recess at one. I'm not a recess teacher today, we rotate. Does one work for you?"

She pulls out her phone, probably to check her calendar and nods. "One is perfect. I'll meet you at Simple Beans, is that all right?"

I laugh and nod. "Seeing as how it's the only coffee place in town I guess it'll have to do."

She laughs a little too before saying a quick goodbye to Masen and leaving. The second she's gone my breathing returns to normal. I whip out my phone, thankful that Edward and I exchanged cell phone numbers after our date.

**You're in trouble. Your sister-in-law was just here. **

**Shit! What did she say to you? She's a sneaky little thing. I'm at the shop the whole day today.**

**Nothing much, just made sure to introduce herself as Masen's Aunt. I guess you have a big mouth, huh Mr. Cullen?**

**My mouth isn't only big, it's talented. Can I show you tonight?**

I choke on the coffee I just took a sip of.

**Focus Cullen! I have a coffee date with her. What do I do? What do I say?**

**Be yourself and she will love you.**

**K. If you don't have a text from me by 1:30, I'm dead and it was nice to know you.**

-o-

"Isabella!" I hear my name called when I enter the coffee shop. I spot Rosalie in the far corner, her hands already wrapped around a steaming mug. I smile and wave before heading to the counter. I definitely need caffeine before I deal with this.

Edward called me on my way over, reassuring me over and over again to just be myself and she'll like me. Apparently Rosalie has a built in Bullshit Detector, which is how she got Edward to spill about practically everything. Hopefully not the make out sessions, because that'd just be fucking weird.

After grabbing my coffee, I make my way slowly toward Rosalie; slowly, because I don't want my klutz-like ways to face plant me at her feet, or scald her with hot coffee. I have a feeling that wouldn't go over too well.

"Hi Isabella," she says politely as I sit down. Her face scrunches a bit. "Is it okay that I call you that?" I'm about to tell her yes just to please her, but then I remember Edward's words. _Be yourself_.

"No, actually I prefer my friends to call me Bella. Nobody really calls me Isabella." I scrunch up my nose at the mention of my full name.

She smirks at me. "Are we friends, Bella?" she asks curiously. Oh shit. She noticed my little slip in there. Edward's right, she is good. It's not bullshit though; I really would like to be friends with Rosalie.

"I think so. Or at least, I hope we will be," I answer with a smile.

She smiles back and then purses her lips. "You're all Masen, and now my brother-in-law, talks about. I feel like I know you already, but you don't know me. Can I tell you a bit about myself?"

I nod and take a sip of my coffee.

"I've known Edward a very long time and he's more like a real brother to me than just a brother-in-law. I'm very protective by nature of my family, but I'm even more so protective of him and my little nephew. They are a huge part of my world, so this is why I need to say this, okay?" I nod. "He's been hurt, Bella. I don't know how much he's told you, but what has happened to him in his life has left damage. Can you handle that?"

I take another sip of my coffee so I have enough time to gather my thoughts.

"Edward has told me everything about Tanya." Her eyes widen and I correct myself. "Well, as much as he's willing to tell. I'm not sure I know everything yet, but I know enough." Suddenly I'm worrying about Tanya. Is there more that I don't know? Do I really know everything? If I don't, it doesn't matter. It doesn't change my mind about him. We've only been out on one real date, it's not like I expect to know everything right now. Rosalie coughs and brings me out of my thoughts.

I give her a sheepish smile. "I'm going to be completely honest okay?" She nods. "I really like Edward, a lot. Probably too much too soon. I've only known him for a month, but…God Rosalie, he just makes me want to know all of him, you know? If I don't know everything about Tanya, or about his life, that's okay with me. I'm ready to learn it all and I want him to know all of my secrets too. I'm so intrigued by him, I can't explain it. I just…I want to live in his brain." I cringe when I realize I just told her I want to live in Edward's brain.

She laughs and smiles, so I guess she doesn't think I'm a total freak.

"What about Masen?"

I can feel myself break out into a huge grin. I sigh and shake my head. "He's…incredible. I know I'm not supposed to say this, but he's my favorite. Not just in my class, but literally, my favorite little boy ever. He's so adorable and sweet and so smart." I laugh. "The other day he cried because he thought an ant died. So he started tapping on the glass and shouting "I'll save you!" until the ant moved." I'm still laughing and Rosalie joins in, smiling at me brightly with a glint in her eye.

"You know…" she trails off and sips her coffee. "I heard he tried to save someone else." She waggles her eyebrows and my face heats quickly. "But I'm not so sure the damsel in distress wanted to be saved." She bursts out laughing, unable to hold it in any longer and I can't help but laugh right along with her, even if I am the butt of the joke.

"Edward has a really big mouth!" I say around my giggles. My face heats again with a traitorous blush when I remember what Edward said when I mentioned his big mouth.

She shakes her head. "No…" she gasps out in between her laughter. "Masen told Esme who told me. You should've seen how red Edward's face was. He looked like a damn tomato."

I hide my face in my hands to try and stop the laughter but it doesn't work. I reach into my purse and grab my phone, quickly typing out a text to Edward.

**Hey tomato, just thought I'd let you know that I love Rosalie, oh and I'm alive!**

His response is immediate.

**She is so mean to me. Don't join Team Rosalie you're supposed to be Team Edward. :[**

I giggle as I show Rosalie the text. She rolls her eyes and smiles.

We talk for a little while longer, but it's getting close to recess being over, so I tell her I have to get back.

"I think I like you Bella," she says as we're leaving the coffee shop. "I haven't seen Edward this happy for a while, so thank you." She gives me a one arm hug and squeezes me gently.

"Thanks for giving me a chance Rosalie. I promise I won't let you down." I mock salute her with two fingers and she laughs.

"Oh God, he already has you doing it too?"

"Doing what?" I ask.

"The whole saluting thing. He has Masen doing it fifty times a day." She rolls her eyes and I smile. "Here," she says handing me her phone. "Put your number in there."

Yes! I passed the test. You don't give someone your phone to put their contact info in unless you like them.

I hand her phone back and she calls my phone and hangs up. "There. Give me a call some time. I don't have many girlfriends around here. Maybe we can have a girls' night out."

"Definitely. I have a couple friends who will love you."

She grins and sends me a wink. "Bye Bella."

"Bye Rosalie."

"Call me Rose," she says over her shoulder. "All my friends do."

-o-

"Does everyone have their partner?" I ask the class full of giggling five-year-olds. They all nod their heads. "Okay, I want each set of partners sitting next to each other on the sharing rug, okay? Once the chaperones get here we'll make up the groups for today."

Everyone goes and sits on the sharing rug, surprising me by sitting quietly. My body tingles seconds before there's a knock at the door. Turning around with a smile already planted on my face, I see Edward leaning against my classroom door. My breath hitches a little at the sight of him.

Wearing a plain white t-shirt covered by a red flannel button down and a pair of dark blue jeans should not be sexy, but it's Edward Cullen, so of course it's fucking sexy. I let my eyes roam down his legs and bite my lip when they settle on his construction-like boots. Why the hell does that turn me on? My eyes travel back to his face and we lock eyes. He smirks at me and mouths "What?" I shake my head at him and sigh.

"Everyone, this is Mr. Cullen, Masen's dad."

"Hello Mr. Cullen!" The entire class shouts. "Hi Daddy!" Masen yells after, causing Edward and I to laugh. He walks over to the group, ruffling Masen's hair and introducing himself to each kid before walking over to my desk.

"Hello, Ms. Swan," he says quietly. "You look lovely." I arch an eyebrow at him and roll my eyes. "What?" he asks with a smile.

"I'm wearing jeans and a t-shirt. How is that lovely?"

"Don't forget the Chucks."

"And Chucks," I say with another eye roll. I swear every guy in my life is going to contribute to my eyes falling out of my head. "How is that lovely?"

"Bella…" he trails off as he leans down over my desk. "I'm pretty sure you'd look lovely in absolutely anything, and even better in absolutely nothing."

"Fuck," I mutter as a rush of desire seeps through my panties.

"What's wrong?" Edward asks with a smile in his voice. I'm assuming he's smiling or smirking. I can't tell since I refuse to look up at him. I won't let him see the blush on my face or the desire in my eyes. For whatever reason, I don't want him to know the affect he has on me right now. Okay, the affect he has on me _always_.

"Nothing," I say without looking up. "You can choose your students. Four per chaperone."

"Bella?" he asks quietly. I do look up this time. And fuck, I wish I hadn't. He's looking at me with the sweetest expression, a mix of curiosity and concern. "You know I was just kidding right?"

"Kidding about what?"

"About you looking better in absolutely nothing."

I can't help but tease him. After all, he fucked with me first.

I narrow my eyes at him. "So you're saying I'm hideous naked?"

His eyes widen. "No!" he whisper-yells. "No, Bella. I think you look fanfuckingtastic naked. I mean…I haven't seen you naked so I don't know; well except when I saw you in your window…half naked. But I couldn't see much, it was too dark and I was too far away and then Rosalie came out and I couldn't keep looking. But I think about it all the time – you naked, and fuck I bet you're perfect everywhere just like your face. And-"

He abruptly stops his rambling and his face turns bright red. He stands up and runs his hands through his hair, turning away from me and facing the kids. I see him take a few deep breaths before he turns back around, smiling at me sheepishly. He looks like a little boy who said a curse word and is about to get punished for it. My heart clenches as I look at him. I want to jump into his arms and kiss him fucking senseless.

"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said all of that. I uh, shit. I'm not like a peeping Tom or anything like that either. I uh, came home and saw you in your window. I could tell you didn't have a shirt on and um, I saw, uh…you know. I couldn't see them well, but, damn they were…I mean. Shit. I'm sorry. Forgive me?"

I let out a small giggle at his adorable rambling and he blows out a breath, waiting nervously for my response. I stand up from my chair, walking slowly around my desk, trailing my fingertips along the cherry wood until they reach his hand. I slide my fingers up and down the top of his hand, swirling tiny circles around his wrist. I watch him watch my hand and smile before I speak. "Edward?" I murmur quietly, not wanting to be overheard.

"Huh?" he asks, seemingly transfixed by my skin on his.

I step a bit closer, getting on my tiptoes so I can whisper near his ear. "I'll always forgive you…after you make it up to me."

His eyebrows rise and he looks down at me with a small smirk. "How can I do that?"

"Come over tonight."

He swallows and is silent for a moment, glancing back to look at Masen. "Rosalie will be home tonight. I'll come over." I watch his Adam's apple bob as he swallows again. "I'll make it up to you."

His eyes blaze and I know he's saying nothing but the truth.

-o-

The aquarium was a huge success. Between Edward and I, plus the other two chaperones, the kids got to see everything they wanted and had a blast. Each group broke apart, making it easier for every group to see every exhibit at different times. It's a lot easier to control four five-year-olds at one exhibit instead of sixteen at one. We all met up at the Sea Lion exhibit after and Edward sat next to me, his group of kids on his right, my group on my left. During the show he ran his pinky up and down the outside of my hand and wrist, slowly driving me fucking crazy.

Masen wanted to be in my group, something that seemed to upset Edward at first, but throughout the day I caught him smiling at the two of us several times. By the end of the trip he was thanking me. When I asked for what, he shook his head and didn't answer me.

He sat next to me on the bus ride home, whispering in my ear the whole way, letting me know that he was looking forward to later. The entire day felt like foreplay, something I'm sure he was doing intentionally.

I got a few curious looks from the other chaperones on the ride home, especially Mike Newton. I kept catching him staring at me throughout the day, especially when Edward was near me. I shrugged it off, not really caring when I was in such close proximity to Edward.

-o-

Back at the school, each chaperone gets their kid ready to go. I thank them all profusely for giving their time to the kids and helping with our first successful field trip. When they leave, I turn around and smile when I see Edward sitting next to Masen on the sharing rug. Eric and Masen are both talking animatedly about the day as if Edward wasn't there for every second of it. Instead of getting annoyed as some parents would – he smiles and nods his head, laughing in all of the appropriate places.

His eyes snap to mine and he smiles and winks at me when he catches me watching. I wink back and he licks his lips.

Shit, is it hot in here?

Twenty minutes later, all of the children have been picked up. I sigh and slump back into my chair, the day catching up with me. Edward is talking to Eric's father, both of them smiling and laughing. It'd be great if they became close. When Mr. Yorkie leaves with Eric, I see Edward heading toward my desk in my peripheral. "Tired Teach?" he asks with a smile.

I sigh and nod. "Yeah. I'm beat." I laugh a little when he frowns. "Don't worry. I'm going home to take a nap. What are we doing tonight?"

He shrugs. "I thought maybe we could watch a movie or something?"

"Or something," I say cheekily, earning a blush from Edward. I love when he blushes.

"So I'll see you later?" he asks me as I stand. I walk over to him and nod. "What time?"

"Hmm," I think. "How about six-ish?"

"Sounds great," he says as he wraps his arms around me, hugging me tightly. I breathe him in, loving the smell of him and the feel of his warmth surrounding me. "Masen's bed time is eight. That gives us plenty of time."

"For what?" I ask a little breathless.

"I have some making up to do, don't I?"

-o-

Five minutes to six, there's a knock at my door. My heart stutters in my chest a bit and I re-think not dressing up before I realize I'm being an idiot and head for the door. He won't care if I'm just casual right? I mean, we're just hanging out. I don't think he'll have a problem with my outfit; a white tank top and black yoga pants. I smirk a bit before I open the door.

"Hi," I breathe when I see him standing there, looking far too attractive in a white t-shirt and basketball shorts. "You look great."

He smiles at me and shakes his head. "I look great? You look stunning." He leans in and gives me a kiss on the cheek before pulling a bottle of wine out from behind his back. "This is for you, well us."

I take the bottle of wine and motion for him to come in. The second he is, I lean up against him and softly press my lips against his. When I pull back, he sighs before giving me an adorable grin. "What was that for?"

I shrug as I walk toward the kitchen. I can hear him following behind me. I place the bottle of wine on the counter and reach for two glasses. After pouring us both a glass, I hand him one and we make our way to the living room. "Did you bring a movie?" I ask.

"No," he says with a sheepish grin. "I don't really care what we watch. You can pick."

"I don't care what we watch either. Let's see what I have." I walk over to the entertainment center and bend down. I hear him groan behind me and I smirk to myself. "How about Billy Madison?" I grab the DVD and pop it in before sitting beside him on my puffy couch.

"I fucking love that movie," he says with a grin. "Perfect choice."

We get about ten minutes into the movie before Edward makes his move. Longest ten minutes of my _life_.

He slowly runs his fingertips up and down my arm, making a few circuits and slowly driving me crazy, before replacing his fingertips with his lips. When his lips reach my neck, I sigh. "Edward," I breathe as I arch my neck away from him, giving him better access to my skin that desperately wants his attention.

His tongue sneaks out to taste my skin, making me gasp. "You taste so fucking good Bella," he whispers against my skin. "Come here." He pulls me closer, helping me adjust my position from beside him to on his lap. "That's better," he says with a grin as I settle onto his lap.

I bite my lip and nod in agreement.

"Bella," he groans as he rests his hands on my hips. "Don't bite that lip. You know what it does to me."

I lick my bottom lip before biting it again, my heart racing when his hands grip my hips tighter. "What does it do to you, Edward?" I ask with a smirk as I press myself down against him, smiling when I feel exactly what it does to him.

"You know what you're doing to me."

I lean down and press my lips against his, opening my mouth to him willingly. My entire body ignites with desire when our tongues touch. As they tangle together, a million thoughts rush through my head. I picture him on that first day, and remember how it felt when he touched me. I never thought I'd be here with him like this.

"Bella," he breathes against my lips. "Do I have some making up to do?" His hand skims the top of my yoga pants, silently asking me for permission.

I gasp and look down at his face. His eyes are the darkest green I've ever seen, his perfect face flushed. I don't think I've ever seen anyone more beautiful. He arches an eyebrow at me and I nod, taking a deep breath before I answer. "Yeah you do."

* * *

**A/N: Oh God! I'm sorry. I'm really mean for ending it there, but this chapter was starting to get away from me and I didn't wanna rush it with them, ya know? They deserve some good alone time, if ya know what I mean. Plus a lot of stuff happened in this chappie. What do you guys think of Rosalie? How cute is Masen? Reviewers get a teaser of chapter 8. Trust me, you want that teaser. H A W T, is all I'm sayin'.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: All Twilight related content belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I just enjoy messing with her characters. :)**

**A/N: HOLY HUGE CHAPTER BATMAN! This chapter kind of got away from me…it's pretty long. Sorry? I figured since it was done...I'd be nice and let you guys get it early. Please check out my new drabble fic! It's different, but I like it...you might too!  
**

**All of your reviews made me smile and your reaction to the teaser made me giggle. Here comes Masen's party! What am I talking about? You're not excited for the party…you're excited for somethin' else. :P  
**

* * *

"_Bella," he breathes against my lips. "Do I have some making up to do?" His hand skims the top of my yoga pants, silently asking me for permission._

_I gasp and look down at his face. His eyes are the darkest green I've ever seen, his perfect face flushed. I don't think I've ever seen anyone more beautiful. He arches an eyebrow at me and I nod, taking a deep breath before I answer. "Yeah you do."_

* * *

"Are you sure?" Edward asks me as he searches my face. I nod, unable to find the words in my muddled brain. "Bella…" he presses his lips gently against mine. He pulls back after a few seconds and laughs at my pout. "I need to hear you say it. Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

I swear those two words flipped a switch in him. Before I know what's happening, I'm underneath him. His body covers mine as he presses down against me. I love his weight on me. I love being surrounded by him. I feel desired and protected.

"What do you want me to do, Bella?" His voice is like melted chocolate. His eyes bore into mine and I gasp at the intensity of his stare. "I'll do whatever you want."

My mind fills with dirty thoughts and scenarios. "Anything," I whisper as I run my hands through his messy hair. "Everything."

His eyes widen. He knows what I'm saying. I'm giving him permission to do anything he pleases with me. I have no idea why I'm giving it to him. I'm the girl who's only had one boyfriend, and said boyfriend didn't round any bases until he had the boyfriend title for a month. And here I am, willing to do anything this man wants me to do after just one real date.

I'm brought out of my thoughts by Edward's touch. I gasp and arch my back when his nose skims over my covered nipple. It pebbles under his small touch and I groan. He smirks up at me, clearly impressed with himself. Just as I'm about to tell him off – he makes me gasp again; this time by covering my nipple with his mouth, sucking it gently over the cotton of my tank top.

"Edward," I breathe out his name in a sigh.

He trails his nose down my stomach, stopping at the hem of my shirt. He nudges it a few times before letting his nose slide underneath it. I giggle as he pushes my tank top up, using nothing but his nose. The sight and the ticklish sensation keep me giggling until he reaches my breasts. The tank is bunched up all around them, so I sit up slightly and pull it over my head. Not wanting to waste time, I unhook my bra and fling it behind my head, not caring where it lands.

I lay back down and this time it's Edward who gasps. His green eyes blaze as he looks down at me. "Fuck," he mutters as he kisses my stomach. "You're so perfect Bella. More perfect that I even imagined. My imagination did not do you justice."

I blush and he smiles. "I love that," he says quietly as he traces my blush with a fingertip. "So beautiful."

"Bella…" he trails off as he fingers my yoga pants again. I nod, not needing him to ask. I want him to take them off. I want to be bare beneath him. I want…

I stop myself from that line of thinking.

He gently tugs on my yoga pants, and we both watch as they slide down my skin. Thankfully, I wore a black cotton thong underneath. Edward gasps and I smirk. What? Did you think I'd be wearing granny panties knowing Edward was going to be in the vicinity of my naked body? I mean, sure, I didn't know how far I was going to go, but a girl has to be prepared.

"Fuck Bella. What are you doing to me?"

He traces a fingertip along the edges of my thong, causing goose bumps to erupt in his wake. He watches my face, holding my stare, as he lets his fingertip ghost along my cotton covered pussy. I gasp and my hips buck, searching for any kind of friction. "Edward, please," I gasp out. "I need you to touch me. Now."

He smiles up at me sweetly, his green eyes sparkling, even in the dim light of the living room. I lift my hips up, silently telling him to remove my panties. He does so, painstakingly slow, driving me absolutely crazy.

He groans when his eyes land on my smooth slick flesh.

I expect him to tease me again, but he doesn't. Before I know it, his mouth is wrapped around my clit, sucking it roughly. "Edward!" I scream his name, both out of surprise and pleasure. My hands find his hair, tugging and pulling and holding him close to me. He releases my clit and I whimper at the loss, but my whimper quickly turns into a moan when he starts to flick his tongue back and forth over it. "Please, please…fuck…"

He rubs two fingers up and down my lips, feeling how wet I am before plunging them deep inside me. He groans against my stomach, kissing and sucking my skin. "You taste so fucking good," he says against my flesh. "And you feel so good Bella. So tight and wet. Are you wet for me, baby?"

My heart flutters when he calls me baby. Using my hands' position I pull him up to my face. I crash my lips to his, kissing him hungrily, and tasting myself on his tongue. I break the kiss to catch my breath and I mumble an answer against his lips. "For you. Only for you."

"Fuck." He thrusts his fingers in and out of me, fast and hard as his thumb plays with my clit. "Cum for me Bella. I need you to cum right now."

"Edward," I groan out his name as his lips assault my neck, sucking my skin hungrily into his mouth. One of his hands finds my nipple, pinching and flicking until I'm moaning like a whore for more. It's all too much. His lips on my neck, his hand on my skin, and his fingers inside me; I can feel the pressure building, the coil tightening, and then…it snaps.

"Ungghhh…fuck! Edward, oh my fucking God!"

I'm a sweaty panting mess when Edward places his forehead gently against mine. I open my eyes and stare at his beautiful green orbs. They're bright and happy and make me smile. He kisses my smiling lips gently before resting his face in my neck.

"Thank you," he mumbles against my skin.

I laugh. "You're thanking me? I think _I_ should be thanking _you_."

He kneels up and removes his shirt and then stands up to pull down his shorts. My heart starts being frantically in my chest as I stare at him standing there half naked, wearing nothing but a thin pair of boxer briefs. Goddamn he's so fucking sexy. My eyes rake over his body, admiring his muscles. His muscles aren't huge and bulky, they're lean and sharp. My breathing accelerates, becoming fast and shallow. Edward mistakes my lust for fear and kneels down in front of the couch. "Shhh, relax. I just want to lay with you. Can I?"

I nod because my mouth is too dry, and I know I won't be able to speak.

He lays his body down against the back of the couch, twisting my body around so I'm lying beside him, facing him. He slides one arm underneath my head, and wraps the other around my waist. I tangle our legs together, loving the feeling of his coarse leg hair on my smooth skin. My nipples brush against his skin and I gasp, trying to hold back the lust threatening to overwhelm me.

"Where's my thank you then?" he asks with a smirk as I settle into the crook of his arm.

"Thank you," I say quietly before pressing my lips gently against his. The confusion on this face tells me he was expecting me to joke back, but I'm not joking, I'm serious. I've never had an experience like that before with anyone else. Of course I'm not a virgin, but the only other guy I've been with was James, and it never felt anything like that.

Edward gave me the best orgasm I'd ever had in my entire life in one night, when James couldn't give me one in four years.

"What's wrong Bella?"

"Nothing," I say with a shrug, lying through my teeth.

"You're lying."

I smile in spite of the situation, because he already knows when I'm lying. He can read my face. Something James couldn't do either. A frown covers my face and I try to cover it up with a smile. It doesn't work.

"Tell me Bella."

"It's embarrassing."

"Tell me." I sigh and try to break away from his grasp, not wanting to look him in the eye when I confess. "Stay."

I look up into his face, seeing nothing but trust and curiosity there. "Okay," I bite my lip. "It's just…I've never…felt anything like that before."

He grins at me and kisses my lips. "I haven't either. It was incredible."

Huh? I'm confused. "What?"

"That felt amazing. Being with you like that…you made me feel…" he shakes his head and blows out a breath. "You made me feel like I was incredible." He blushes and shrugs.

"You _were_ incredible." I snuggle against his chest. "But I meant the whole…um-the-orgasm-part." I say it quickly and quietly, hoping to get it out without him really ever hearing it.

"What?" his voice is incredulous. "You've…you've _never_ had an orgasm?"

"I've had an orgasm," I say defensively. "Just…not with anyone else."

"But you and James…"

I pull back and look at him. "Never."

"Never?"

He starts laughing with such force I almost fall off the couch. "Hey!" I say with a slap to his chest. "Don't laugh at me." I pout and he stops laughing.

"Bella, I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing at James. You have nothing to be embarrassed about. He's the one who should be embarrassed. What an asshole. Didn't he ever realize that you never had an orgasm?"

"James is a very self-involved person and I'm a very good actress."

"Wow. Well you know what this means right?"

I shake my head, confused. "What?"

"I have some work to do." He waggles his eyebrows as his fingers skim down my stomach. "Ready for round two?"

-o-

I pull my phone away from my ear, hoping to save my hearing from the deafening squeals. "Jess!" I shout after putting my phone on speaker. "Stop or I'm hanging up." I knew I shouldn't have told her about my night with Edward. She squeals a few more times, sounding more like a preteen at a Bieber concert than a twenty-three year old woman. "Are you done?" I ask when she's calmed down.

"Yep," she says with a giggle. "So how many orgasms did you have?"

I blush and mumble my answer. "Three."

"Damn."

"I know."

"How many did he have?"

I hesitate and then think fuck it. "None."

"WHAT?"

"Jess, volume!"

"Sorry," she apologizes. "What do you mean 'none', how is that possible?"

"He um…didn't want me to do anything. He said it was all about me."

"Bella…you need to fucking marry this man, pronto."

I roll my eyes at her even though she can't see me. "Jess, be real."

"I am! Do you know how rare it is for a guy to give you one orgasm, let alone three?" She gasps. "Oh, right. Of course you do. Sorry." I laugh, letting her know there's nothing to apologize for. "Okay," she continues, "you know how rare that is. But do you know how rare it is for them to not expect anything back? That's like…unheard of."

I sigh. "I know. I wanted to…reciprocate, but he wouldn't let me." I sound whiney and pathetic, but I feel whiney and pathetic so I guess it fits. Last night, I wanted to make Edward feel amazing, just like he'd made me feel…three different times. He wouldn't let me touch him, claiming that he wanted it to be all about me last night.

A part of me thinks it's sweet and agrees with Jess. I should be ecstatic that a man wanted to make me feel good so selflessly, and I do. But there's another part of me, an annoying nagging part that thinks Edward doesn't want me to touch him. Maybe he's not ready for someone else to touch him. Maybe his body only responds to Tanya.

_You know his body responds to you, I felt it plenty!_

After telling my vag to shut up, I refocus on my thoughts.

At dinner he'd told me that it was hard for him and Tanya to…reconnect. It makes me wonder if he's been with anyone since. Maybe I'm the first? Maybe he was nervous? Or maybe I'm just over-thinking everything as usual and he was just being sweet and nice and doing something for me out of the kindness of his heart.

_Yeah right_, my inner bitch spews.

"Earth to Bella!"

Jessica's voice brings me out of my thoughts. "Huh?"

"I asked: What are you getting Masen for his birthday?"

Shit. "I have no idea."

"Better get on that," she sings out.

"Yeah I know. I'll call you later, okay? Tell Alice I love her when she wakes up."

"Can I fill her in on the latest development?" she asks excitedly.

Honestly, only Jessica would be happy to be woken up at six am to hear about her best friends sexual encounters, and even happier to spread the word about it. Who am I to deny her? "Sure Jess. Have a blast."

"Yay! Have fun shopping."

-o-

"So who is this present for?"

I narrow my eyes at Jake. "I told you it's for one of my students."

"Isn't that like, against the law?"

"No it isn't against the law to buy a present, Jake."

He laughs and ducks away from my punch. "Isn't it unethical?"

"No."

"Won't other kids get jealous?"

I huff. "Jake. Shut up. It's not like I'm bringing the present into school and shoving it in other student's faces. I'm going to his party, which I was invited to, and bringing a present. It has nothing to do with school or my class or my other students."

"Chill Bells, I'm just teasing you. What about this?" He pulls a light saber down from the shelf and starts playing around with it. "He can be a Jedi. Everyone wants to be a Jedi."

I shrug. "I don't know. Maybe." I take it from him and throw it in the cart. "Let's keep looking."

After walking around Toys R Us for an hour and a half, I leave with three different gifts. Hopefully he'll like at least one of them.

"You really like this guy, huh?" Jake asks as we get into my truck. I shrug and focus on my keys. "Bells," he places his hand on my shoulder. "I'm happy for you." I'd done nothing all day but tell Jake everything about Edward. Well not everything, 'cause Jake is like my brother, and I don't want to discuss my sex life with him, under any circumstances.

"You are?" I ask, my tone laced with doubt.

He shrugs. "As long as you're happy, I'm happy. But…I want you to think it through. He's a Marine at heart Bella. What would you do if he enlisted again? Can you handle the damage it's already done to him? How do you feel about inheriting a kid? What about ex-wife drama? It's a lot to take in. Just make sure you're ready for it. I don't want you hurt again." His expression turns dark and I know his thoughts are now on James.

When we stop at a red light, I reach for his hand, giving him a reassuring squeeze. "Don't let him piss you off. He's out of my life, our lives, and I'm okay now."

He gives me a sad smile. Jake has always blamed himself for me getting hurt. He thinks if he was around more, he would've noticed how James treated me and would've been able to do something about it. The truth is it wouldn't have mattered. I was enthralled with James and thought I was in love, so much so my heart wouldn't let my brain see the truth. I doubt Jake would've convinced me of anything.

"Are you going to Charlie's for dinner?" I ask out of curiosity…and because I want to change the subject.

"Yeah," he says with a nod. "Sue needs a ride, so I'm gonna drive her. Figured I might as well get some free food outta the deal, right? Even if it is Charlie's nasty cooking," he chuckles.

I roll my eyes. Free food is Jake's thing. He'll get it wherever and whenever he can.

"Okay, get out," I say jokingly when we pull up to his dad's house on the reservation. Jake never got his own place, figuring it'd be stupid to pay rent on a place when he'd barely live there.

"Fine, fine," he sighs and kisses my cheek. "I had fun today Bells. I'll see you Sunday okay? Bring Edward." He waggles his eyebrows and my face heats – this time it's not with my blush, it's with anger and annoyance.

"No way." There's no way I'd subject Edward to Jake and my father at the same time. He'd die. "Go away loser."

He laughs and shuts the door, waving with a cheeky grin on his face before running into the small house. I laugh despite my anger and drive off, slowly making my way home.

My thoughts shift and I start wondering if Edward would even come if I asked him to. I feel like that'd be moving too fast. We'd only been on one real date. I'm not sure if tomorrow counts as a date. I'm sure it doesn't, I mean, it's his son's birthday party. There's not much romantic about that.

I don't care what it's defined as. I'm just really excited to spend an entire day with Edward…and his family. I pull over when I start hyperventilating.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Why didn't I think of this before?

His parents are going to be there. Rosalie is going to be there. I'm sure a ton of his family is going to be there. I gasp. What if my students are there with their parents? How hadn't I considered this before?

By the time I get home I'm sick to my stomach and completely second guessing attending the party at all.

-o-

As I'm finishing wrapping Masen's last gift, my phone rings, making me jump up like an idiot. I smile when I see his name on my phone. "Hey," I say a little breathlessly.

"Hey beautiful." I smile like an idiot. "What's up?"

"I just got done wrapping Masen's presents."

"Presents? As in plural?" At least his tone sounds amused and not mad.

"Um…yeah. I didn't know what to get him so I just got him everything I thought he'd like. Is that bad? I'll just bring one if it's a problem. I actually…don'tknowifI'llbeabletomakeit." I say it in a rush, knowing that if I didn't say it quickly I wouldn't say it at all.

"What?"

"I don't think I'm going to be able to make it tomorrow for the actual party. I'll stop by tomorrow night though." I try to be nonchalant.

"Why?"

"I just can't make it Edward." He's silent for a full minute. "Edward?"

He says nothing. The only thing that comes through the phone is a beep, letting me know he's hung up. I stare at the phone in shock, unwilling to believe that he actually just hung up on me. Before I can get pissed and curse him, there's a knock at my door.

I make my way to it, not really thinking about anything as I try to hold off the anger that's bubbling inside me. I open the door without even checking through the peephole, too preoccupied with looking at my phone's screen, and scream when two hands grip my arms.

"Bella!" Edward yells loudly. "It's me, relax."

My heart stops hammering in my chest and my breathing returns to normal as I realize it's just Edward. _Jesus_.

"What are you doing?" I ask stupidly. Obviously he's standing at my door. I glance down and see my phone still clutched tightly in my hand and my anger rises. "And why the fuck did you hang up on me!"

He scrunches his eyebrows up and looks confused. "What?"

"You. Hung. Up. On. Me!" I say each word with a poke to his chest. "Why?"

"You were mumbling bullshit about not coming to the party tomorrow. What gives? Why don't you want to come?"

All of the anger evaporates from my body just as quickly as it came when I see the hurt look on Edward's face. He looks so sad and…rejected…and a little pissed, but the sadness outweighs every other emotion.

"Edward," I sigh and take his hand, pulling him behind me until we're both seated on my couch. "I want to come."

"But?"

"I don't know…lots of buts." I give him a weak smile.

"Like what?"

"I'm worried about my students. I'm sure some were invited right?"

He nods with no hesitation. "I invited the whole class. Masen doesn't have any other friends outside of school yet."

"That's what I figured," I say with a nod. "I don't want to get weird looks from parents and I don't want my students to be confused either. None of them have seen me outside of the classroom…well, except for Masen."

"Okay, I get that. But…you're allowed to have a life outside of school Bella. It's not like you're showing favorites in the classroom…right?"

"Of course not!" I say defensively. Even though Masen _is_ my favorite, I'd never treat him differently in my classroom. That's wrong on so many levels.

"So then, problem solved! You can come." He smiles at me triumphantly and I grimace in return. He sighs. "Now what?"

"Your parents will be there, and the rest of your family, right?"

He nods and shrugs. "Yeah, so?"

"Don't you think it's too soon to be introducing them to your…" I hesitate, barely stopping myself from blurting out the ridiculous g-word, "friend." Edward looks confused. _You look like I feel buddy_.

"Why wouldn't I be able to introduce a friend?"

"I…I don't know."

"Bella?"

"Yeah?" I look down and play with the hem of my shirt.

"Were you going to say_ girlfriend_?" My eyes snap up to his face to see him smirking at me, his green eyes bright with mischief and…something else I can't identify.

"No." He arches a disbelieving eyebrow at me. I huff. "Okay, fine, yes."

I expect him to burst out into giggles, or run out of my house like his ass is on fire, but he does neither of those things. Instead, he shocks the shit out of me. "Is that what you want?" he asks quietly. "Do you want to be my girlfriend?"

I have no idea what to say. Of course, I know what I want to say, I just don't know how to say it. I can't tell if he's being serious or not. Maybe he's just teasing me? If I say yes, and he's only joking, I'll be mortified. If I say no and he's being serious, he'll be crushed.

I decide to stop being such a pussy and I blurt out the truth. "Yes."

His eyes widen and I blush furiously. Shit.

Here comes rambling Bella. "I mean…I don't know what you want. Were you just joking? If you were, forget I said anything. I mean, God we've only been out on one date! I've only known you for a month. But I mean…you have given me three great orgasms." My eyes widen. "I've had more orgasms with you than dates."

"Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

"I…"

He looks so hopeful and adorable. I want to say yes, but I'm scared. I think back to Jake's advice.

Can I handle his ex-marine background and all the baggage that comes with it? Yes. I know that he's been through a lot and I know I'll be there for him in whatever capacity he needs. Can I handle Masen? There's no need to even think about that. I love Masen. Tanya? That bitch better hope we never meet. Shit. My earlier worries slam back into my brain. What if she's at the party?

"Is Tanya going to be at the party?"

Edward's mouth pops open and he laughs. "Bella…can you answer my question first?"

I know that I can handle Edward's baggage. But can he handle mine? Can I handle mine? Can I trust Edward to not hurt me and break my heart? I feel more for Edward after one month than I did for James in four years, and that scares the shit out of me.

I need to stop being afraid. I need to stop letting my past affect my future. I need to be honest with myself, and with Edward.

I take a deep breath and answer him.

"Yes."

"Yes you can answer it or yes you'll be my girlfriend?"

"Yes, I'll be your girlfriend."

He grabs my face in his hands and crashes his lips against mine.

After a few minutes I force myself to pull away. He pouts at me and I let out a little giggle. "We need to talk first."

"Talking is overrated," he says against my neck. He kisses the spot right behind my ear before licking the shell and ending with sucking my earlobe into his mouth. I groan and summon every ounce of willpower I have in me to push him away.

"Edward."

He sighs and rakes a hand through his hair. "Okay. Let's talk."

"Is Tanya going to be at the party?"

"Fuck no. I wouldn't let her anywhere near Masen after what she's done. She wants to give up her rights to him. She made her choice. Why do you ask?"

"I just…if she was going to be there I don't want to be." His brow furrows, so I quickly explain. "I just…I don't know what I would do if I saw her, but I know it would be violent." He lets out a small laugh. "I'm serious. If I ever see her I will seriously fuck her up, and I don't think a five-year-old's birthday party is the best venue for a throwdown."

"What am I going to do with you?" he asks with a chuckle.

"I can think of a few things…"

-o-

"Put your hand right there," I say breathlessly.

"Here?" he asks, almost as out of breath as I am.

"Yeah," I gasp, not used to using these muscles. It's been a while since I've done this. "God," I groan. I feel the familiar burn and look into Edward's smiling face. He's enjoying himself as much as I am.

We both look down and groan. "I don't know if I can handle this position much longer," I say as sweat drips down my neck.

"It'll feel so good when it's over Bella; just hold out a little bit longer."

"But I need to…"

"I know," he says quietly. "Just a little bit longer. I promise it'll be worth it."

"Okay."

I hear the click and swish and look down again.

"Damn it, move your leg this way Bella." I try to follow his advice but I can't get my leg into that position. "A little wider," he says in a sigh. I spread my leg a bit wider. Almost there… "A little more Bella. Shit," he mutters.

I smile up at him and he grins down at me. And then we both crash down to the floor.

Giggles fill the air.

"We won! We won!" Masen shouts victoriously and bumps fists with Eric.

Edward and I lay lifelessly on top of the plastic Twister board. We just lost to five-year-olds.

Rosalie's smirking face enters my blurred vision. "Wow that was pathetic." She holds a hand out to help me up and I take it gratefully, knowing I won't be able to get myself up. Thankfully, not many people are here yet. So far it's only Rosalie, Edward, Eric, and his dad.

A knock at the door changes that.

"I got it!" Edward calls and hops up easily.

He runs toward the door and I hear a women's voice from the foyer. "Where's my handsome little man?"

"GRAMS!" Masen screams at the top of his lungs before booking it toward the front door. He stops short and runs back into the living room, grabbing my hand and dragging me toward the woman. "Come on Ms. Swan! You have to meet my Grams!"

No. No. No.

How can I stop this?

Short of pushing a five-year-old to the ground, I don't think I can. And seeing as how I'm a kindergarten teacher, I don't think pushing little kids around would work out too well for me and my career. Not to mention that I'm dating his dad…that wouldn't end well. So what do I do? I let him drag me to my death.

We turn the corner and see Edward talking quietly with a beautiful older woman. Sporting the same crazy colored hair and beautiful green eyes, she looks me over as we approach. "Is this the famous Ms. Swan?" she asks with a smirk that looks far too much like her son's. I nod, but say nothing, and she grins at me mischievously. "Oh, it's so lovely to meet you! I've been looking forward to meeting the damsel in distress that my brave handsome man saved."

Thankfully by now she has me wrapped in a tight embrace and doesn't see my face flame in embarrassment. I look down at Masen, fully prepared to be upset with his big mouth, but the second I see his adorable grinning face, I melt. "Yeah, he saved me from the monster."

"That's Daddy, he's the monster," Masen pipes up, causing the three of us to laugh. "Come on Grams! Let's play Twister. Daddy and Ms. Swan played with me and Eric. They got all tangled up and sweaty but we beated them."

Mrs. Cullen laughs out loud at her grandson's words and he looks at her curiously, not finding anything he said funny, which makes Edward and I join in Esme's laughter, even though we're both embarrassed. This little boy brings so much happiness and laughter to everyone he encounters.

As I watch him convince his grandmother to play with an adorable little pout, I wonder how anyone could willingly give him up. Why would Tanya just throw such a precious little boy away? Even as just his teacher, I couldn't imagine not seeing him every day. I have a hard enough time staying away from him on the weekends lately; so I don't see how his mother could abandon him. I think about Renee and take back my thoughts. It's sad how easy it is for a mother to turn her back on her child.

"Hey," Edward nudges me with his shoulder. "You okay?" I bite my lip to hold back my emotion. It's amazing to me, how well he can read me already. I nod and give him a weak smile. It's not enough to remove the look of concern from his face though. Thankfully he doesn't push me to talk, instead he wraps his arms around me and gives me a hug.

Over his shoulder, I see Esme watching us intently, a smile firmly planted on her face.

"Where's the birthday boy?" A masculine voice calls from behind us, scaring the shit out of me.

"GRAMPS!" Masen shrieks. He's just as excited by his grandfather's arrival as he was minutes ago with his grandmother's. It makes me happy to see that he has people who genuinely love him. He needs all the extra love he can get. "Whatcha got?"

I turn around to see what he's talking about and my breath catches in my throat.

Holy. Fucking. Silver. Fox.

"This," the gorgeous older man says with a huff, "is your birthday present." He places the huge box down in front of the gift table and stretches when he stands. "I think I'm getting too old to carry the presents. I think Grams should do it on Christmas. What'd do you think about that Mase?"

Masen giggles and shakes his head. "Grams can't do that. She's too pretty to carry things." Esme laughs and hugs him close, kissing the top of his head.

Mr. I'm-George-Clooney-hot turns around and smiles a breathtaking smile at me, causing me to gasp. I see Esme hide her giggles behind her hand while Rose openly laughs at me. My face heats with a blush as I realize I'm acting like a teenager with a crush. "And who is this lovely creature?" he asks as he takes my hand.

Edward clears his throat. "Dad," he sounds kind of annoyed, "this is Isabella Swan, Masen's teacher…and _my girlfriend_."

My eyes snap to his instantly. He called me his girlfriend! In public! In front of his parents!

"She's your girlfriend?"

And Masen._ Shit_.

Edward looks down in shock, like he's surprised that Masen is standing there. "Um, yeah buddy. Is that okay with you? You remember the talk we had?"

Masen stands there, rubbing his chin while he thinks, looking far too adorable while everyone else holds their breath. There's tension in the room as we wait for a five-year-olds opinion. I'd roll my eyes, except for the fact that I'm scared shitless. This is important.

"Can I call you Bella when we're not at school? Like everyone else?"

His question surprises me. I get down on my knees and touch his shoulder. "Sure. But today, and whenever we're in front of kids from school, can you call me Ms. Swan?" He thinks for a second and then nods. "Great."

"So no other kids can call you Bella? Only me?"

"Only you."

He throws his arms around my neck, shocking the shit out of me as he hugs me tightly. "Yay! That's awesome Ms. Swan. Wait! I can call you Bella right? It's only Eric and his Daddy…"

Damn, I'd completely forgotten they were here.

I look over at them and Eric's father gives me a wink. It's not a creepy flirty wink, it's a wink to let me know it's all good. "Sure. Eric knows to only call me Ms. Swan, right buddy?" Eric shrugs and smiles clearly bored with this conversation.

"Come on Masen; let's go play on your swings!"

Both boys run out of the house with Esme, Rose, and Mr. Yorkie not far behind. I should probably just call him Mark, considering he knows all about my love life now. Great.

"Well…that was interesting," Mr. Cullen says with a laugh. I stand up and he takes my hand. "It's so great to meet you Isabella. I'm Dr. Cullen, or Mr. Cullen, but you can call me Carlisle." He grins and winks at me and I can already feel my face heating again.

Goddamn. If this is what Edward is going to look like in his golden years…_yes fucking please_. I need to marry this man stat.

Wait, _what_?

I shake my head to clear out the ridiculous thoughts filling it and mumble out a reply. "Uh…h-hello Dr. Mc, I mean, Carlisle." Holy shit! I almost called him Dr. McDreamy. "It's very nice to meet you."

"GRAMPS! Come out here!"

He grins at me and shakes his head. "Duty calls."

I'm completely relieved when Carlisle heads for the backyard, leaving Edward and I alone. I could use a few blissful minutes of silence with him before the five-year-olds and their parents descend. Edward clears his throat, and when I look up at him, all of my relief is gone, replaced by panic.

Edward looks…annoyed. His jaw is tense and his eyes are dark and narrowed at me. "What?" I squeak out, hating that I sound so pathetic. I want to sound strong and pissed, because if he's going to be pissed at me for nothing…I can return the favor.

"Nothing," he says with a shrug as he flexes his fingers. I zone out for a second when I see the muscles in his forearms flex. His cough brings me back to my senses.

"It's obviously not "nothing", so spit it out."

He huffs and crosses his arms – an obvious defense mechanism. "You have the hots for my dad!"

Okay…

I seriously was _not_ expecting that.

Giggles burst from my lips before I can stop them, and before I know it, I'm doubled over in laughter.

"You're laughing?" he asks me incredulously.

"Oh my God, Edward." I try to stop the giggles, but they won't quit, so I explain in gasping breaths. "I…don't…have…the hots for…your dad!"

"I saw you blush. You blush like that for me." I look up and see the sad pout on his face. He's being ridiculous, but I get why. Tanya instilled a lot of trust issues in his heart and his head. I think he knows his dad isn't a threat; or at least I _hope_ he knows that, but I'll reassure him anyway.

"Edwaaaard," I stretch out his name as I wrap my arms around his neck. "I'm not gonna lie and say your dad isn't hot. He's a silver fox that belongs in the Clooney Club." He arches an eyebrow so I explain. "The hot old guy club," I say with a shrug. "But Edward…I'm not interested in your dad…no offense, but that's gross."

"So you just think he's hot?" I nod. "So why'd you blush?"

I roll my eyes because I feel my cheeks heat again. "I was um…thinking about how you'd look at his age."

He raises his eyebrows and smirks at me. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

I refuse to tell him how I pictured us still being together then, because I'm pretty sure that would scare the shit out of him.

He smiles and leans down, gently kissing my lips. Just as the kiss gets heated, there's a loud knock at the door. I groan against his smirking lips. He kisses from my lips to my ear, his hot breath making me shiver as he whispers in it. "We'll finish this later."

He walks toward the door with a smile on his face, laughing loudly as I groan again, hating and loving his teasing all at once. His laughter stops when he opens the door and his tone is completely different when he speaks one word harshly.

"Tanya."

* * *

**A/N: Awww shit! Want a teaser of _that_ conversation? You know what you gotta do, review! ;)  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. All Twilight related material belongs to Stephanie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**A/N: Hahah, your reviews about Tanya made me laugh! Let's see how our girl handles this shit, alright? Team Bella ftw. ;)**

* * *

"Tanya."

I've never heard so much contempt and rage in one simple word.

"Eddie!" A high pitched nasally voice fills my ears, making me visibly cringe. "Hi honey! I hope I'm not late…" she peeks around his shoulder and my eyes widen when her face comes into view. She looks…rough; so unlike the gorgeous woman I'd seen in the folded photograph. I quickly calculate how much time could have passed since that photo was taken and…yeah, she shouldn't look that bad, but she does. I mean, she's not ugly. I'm not a hater and can appreciate a beautiful woman, but she just looks so…used and haggard.

Her ice blue eyes land on me and she frowns for a fraction of a second before recovering and fixing her lips into the fakest smile I've ever seen. She steps around Edward's still form and walks purposely toward me. "Hello, my name is Tanya. I'm Masen's-"

She doesn't get to finish her sentence. I don't give her the chance. A resounding crack fills the room as my hand connects with her face. My breathing is ragged as she stares at me with a comically shocked expression on her face. I don't regret it. Not one fucking bit. I just…couldn't let her lie. I couldn't let her say "I'm Masen's mother"; hell I couldn't let her say anything that followed "Masen's" because she is nothing to him, thanks to her own selfish decisions.

"Damn."

I spin around to see Rosalie standing there with a wide grin on her face. She starts a slow clap, which garners the attention of the group outback. "Edward," I gasp as I realize that Masen is going to come running in here and see Tanya standing there. This is his birthday; I refuse to let him be hurt. Edward rushes past me, finally snapping out of his daze with a nod, letting me know that he's on it.

"Who the fuck are you and what do you think gives you the right to put your hands on me?"

I whirl around and she takes a step back when she sees the look on my face.

That's fucking right bitch, you _better _fear me.

I take a step toward her and she takes two more back until she's pressed against the door. "I'm the bitch who's going to beat the shit out of you if you're not out of here in five seconds. And why do_ I_ have the right to put my hands on _you_? Who gave_ you_ the fucking right to show up _here_?"

"I'm here to see my son and husband," she says with fake confidence. Her eyes are darting behind me and I can only assume that there's a bigger audience now. A quick look back shows me that Rose has been joined by Esme, and she does not look happy to see her former daughter-in-law.

I turn back around and smile sweetly. "I think you mean _ex_-husband? And according to the paperwork you requested, you want nothing to do with Masen, so you have no son, right?"

"Edward!" Tanya shrieks suddenly, causing me to flinch away from the shrill noise.

"You fucking bitch!" Rosalie is in front of her in a second with her hand wrapped tightly around her throat. "Don't you dare yell again, do you hear me?" Tanya nods. "If you ruin that little boy's birthday I will _fuck you up_, got me?" Tanya whimpers and nods again. "That slap Bella gave you will feel like a loving caress when I'm done with your skank ass if you make one more fucking peep."

"I think it's best that you leave Tanya." Esme is being the voice of reason right now, but I can tell she's getting close to losing it. Her jaw is tense and her hands are clenched into tight fists. "You're not wanted here."

"I think that should be left up to Edward."

"_Leave_."

We all turn around to see Edward standing there, his narrowed gaze trained on Tanya.

"Eddie we need to talk. I got the paperwork yesterday and-"

"Leave."

"Eddie don't be-"

"I SAID LEAVE!" He quickly makes his way across the room, standing mere inches from Tanya's face. His breathing is ragged and his eyes are wild. I've never seen this side of Edward. It should probably scare me, but all it does is turn me on.

I rush to his side and place myself in between the two of them. I place my hands on his chest and rub them up and down his pecks slowly. "Edward," I speak softly and calmly. "Baby, look at me." He clenches his jaw and looks down. His eyes soften the tiniest bit when his gaze lands on me. "Back away. She's not worth it, okay? She's going to leave right now and we're going to have an awesome day with Mase." I use his nickname, hoping it'll snap him out of his anger quicker. I see a flicker of recognition in his eyes and smile up at him.

"_Baby_?" Tanya's shrill voice asks behind me.

I turn around to face her and smile when Edward places his arms around my waist from behind. "Yes Tanya. This is Bella Swan, my _girlfriend_. Now like I said, leave. You're not wanted or needed here. Goodbye."

Without another word he turns around, grasping my hand and leading me toward the backyard. I hear Rose laying into Tanya again. "Fuck off and have a shitty life," she says before I hear the door slam.

Problem solved…for now.

-o-

"Happy Birthday dear Masen…Happy Birthday to you!"

Everyone cheers as Masen happily blows out all of the candles on his cake in one try. "Happy Birthday for me!"

I watch Edward's face as he watches Masen, seeing so much happiness and love there now. Over the past few hours, the atmosphere has shifted from angry and tense to happy and carefree. Edward looks up from his spot next to Masen and winks at me, causing a flush to spread throughout my body. I glare at him before quickly looking around; making sure no one saw our little exchange. My eyes land on Mike Newton, catching him staring at me. Okay, what the fuck is this guy's deal? It's really starting to piss me off. None of the other parents seem to care, yet this asshole is forever annoying me with his stupid ass stares. All of the kids from my class were excited to see me, probably trying to wrap their little brains around the fact that I exist outside of the classroom. They all automatically called me Ms. Swan too, including Masen. Edward has been shooting me glances all day, pretty much silently saying "told you so".

I let my eyes focus back onto Edward and I see him watching Mike as well. He looks kind of pissed. I squeeze his shoulder to get his attention and he stands up after kissing Masen's forehead. As we walk a few steps away, we can hear Masen grumbling about kissing him in front of his friends. I start giggling as Edward pulls me into the kitchen to help him get the paper birthday decorated plates.

"What's up with you and that Newton guy?" he asks as he tries to open the plates packaging. I can't see his face, because he's bent over trying desperately to get the plastic off. I roll my eyes at him and take the package, easily cutting a hole into it with my nail. "That's convenient," Edward says with a smile. At least he's not pissy. I decide to be honest with him.

"I don't know. He keeps…staring at me. It's weird right?" Edward nods. "I thought I was just being paranoid when he was doing it during the field trip."

"He did it that day too?" Edward clenches his jaw and pinches the bridge of his noise.

"Yeah, you didn't see? Damn. Maybe I am being paranoid then."

"No, I'm sure you're not. I just wasn't paying attention that day. You were very distracting."

I snort out a laugh. "What? How?"

"You looked gorgeous," he takes a step closer to me, "you smelled amazing," another step, "and you were so fantastic with Masen," he has me pressed against the island counter now, "I've never seen him smile so much." He runs his nose along my collar bone, making me glad that I wore a v-neck today. "Bella…" his nose continues upward until he's at my ear. "Thank you," he whispers before kissing my lobe, all along my jaw, until his lips land at the corner of my mouth.

"For what?" I gasp out, trying desperately to keep my brain cells functioning.

"Everything Bella," he presses his lips against mine gently…sweetly. "You have no idea what you're doing for me, do you? It's just how you are. It's natural for you." He places his hands on my neck, sliding them up underneath my hair as his lips meet mine again. He runs his tongue along my bottom lip, and I open to him willingly. A small moan escapes my lips when our tongues tangle together. He tastes so fucking good, like chocolate and coffee mixed together with his own natural Edward yumminess.

My hands grip his shoulders tightly, my nails digging into his skin through his thin t-shirt. He breaks the kiss so we can catch our breath, but the intensity doesn't waiver. Even sharing oxygen with him almost brings me to my knees.

"Ahem."

I peek over Edward's shoulder, seeing Eric's dad with a smirk planted on his face. He laughs when I blush and holds his hands up in a show of peace. "Sorry to interrupt, but the kids are getting restless." He walks over to the island and grabs the plates. "Mike wanted to come in and check on you guys…I figured I'd better be the one to do that." He chuckles and slaps the paper plates against his hand.

I breathe out a sigh of relief. Sure, it was awkward for one of my student's parents to come in, but if it was Mike…it would've been much worse. "Thanks Mark," I say sincerely with a smile.

He blinks a few times, seemingly shocked at the use of his first name. I giggle and he shakes his head. "That's gonna take some getting used to, huh?"

He nods and smiles down at me. "Yeah it is. Thanks…Bella?" He uses my first name cautiously and breathes a little easier when I nod and smile at him. "You guys coming?"

"Yeah we'll be there in a sec," Edward says with a wink. Mark shakes his head and laughs, walking out of the kitchen and leaving us alone. Edward turns around to face me again, taking my hand and running his fingers along my palm. "I'm sorry," he whispers quietly, looking directly in my eyes. He looks…scared, like I'm upset with him or something.

"Why are you sorry?"

"For attacking you in here," he tries to keep a straight face, but I see a smirk working its way to his lips. "I didn't mean to, honestly. It's just…I don't know. I can't keep my hands off of you. I'm sorry because I shouldn't have done it in the middle of Masen's party, when anyone could walk in on us."

"It's okay, it was only Mark."

"Yeah, but it could've been Mike, and then I would've had to punch him." He grins down at me. "Or maybe I woulda just smacked him. Care to give me some pointers?"

I blush and look down. "I'm sorry about that."

"Why?" he asks with wide eyes. "You shouldn't be sorry for that. I…I'm thankful for that. I'm sure that probably sounds bad but…man, you have no idea how long I've wanted to smack her." He laughs. "Obviously I couldn't, I would never put my hands on a woman like that. Rose came close a few times…but never did it. I think she was worried I'd get back together with her, and then it'd be really awkward whenever we were at family functions."

Shit…if Rose thought that then…

"Wipe that look off your face Bella," he says strongly. "I will never be with her again. I never want to see her again, but I'll have to in a few months for the formal divorce hearing. That's enough for a lifetime. I want you."

"I want you too," it comes out a lot breathier than I planned.

Edward chuckles and kisses my lips lightly before taking a step back. "You're dangerous. Do you know that?"

I wink at him before grabbing the box of plastic forks and spoons and walking out of the kitchen. I may have swung my hips a little more than necessary, but I had to prove his dangerous accusation to be true, right?

He runs up behind me quickly, stopping me with his hands on my hips. "You'll pay for that soon."

"I'm counting on it," I reply over my shoulder with a wink.

He groans and shakes his head with a devious smile on his face.

-o-

"Bella!" I hear a tiny voice call my name. Who the hell is that? "Daddy wake Bella up! I wanna watch one of my new presents!"

"Mase, let her rest for a little longer okay? Then we'll do everything you want."

Edward's voice stirs me and I wake up feeling a bit groggy. I look around and see that I'm on Edward's couch. "Edward?" I call out when I don't see him. He steps into the living room with an adorable smile on his face.

"Hey sleeping beauty. You ready to get up?" He holds out his hand and helps me stand. He wraps his arms around me and kisses my forehead sweetly. "Still tired?"

"When did I fall asleep?"

"After the presents. I left you here with a steaming up of my famous coffee and you passed out on me when I went to check on the kids." He laughs and shakes his head. "I guess more than six hours with five-year-olds wear you out huh?"

"I'm six!" Masen yells from the hallway. "You're awake! Yay! Can we watch this now?" He holds out the deluxe box in front of his face with a huge grin. He starts bouncing up and down as he looks between his dad and me. "Daddy and me always do something special with one present after my party."

"Oh," I say, trying to keep the frown off my face and the disappointment out of my voice. "I'll get going then." I smile up at Edward, hoping it doesn't look like a grimace. "I need to get up early anyway."

He frowns down at me. "Early on a Sunday? Why?"

"I have a dinner thing," I say with a wave of my hand. I'd rather not tell him that my friends and I all convene at my father's house every Sunday. It's the one time I actually feel like I have a real family, at least for a few hours. That's a discussion that'll get heavy quickly.

"Oh," his frown deepens. "You need to get up early…for dinner?"

"I'm in charge of the cooking…and it's lots of people…so it takes some prep."

I expect him to question me further but he doesn't. "So…you don't wanna stay and watch your present?" Shit. He looks hurt again.

"Edward," I whisper quietly so Masen doesn't hear. "I don't want to impose on a tradition you and him have together."

Edward laughs and a relieved smile takes over his face. "That's why you want to leave?" I nod. "Bella…he's been waiting for you to wake up because he picked your present as his favorite. Well, all three of your presents are his favorite," he rolls his eyes at me. "You beat me in best presents." He playfully narrows his eyes. "I know it probably seems stupid, but the fact that he picked your present as his favorite…and wants you to stay is a big deal." He runs his hands through his hair nervously as I take in what he just said. "I get it if this is too much. You can go home if you want to; I'll tell him you're sleepy."

"No!" I shout louder than I meant to. "No," I say quietly. "I…I don't want to leave. I just didn't want to mess with your tradition."

"You're not messing with it, you're making it better."

A warm sensation takes root deep in my chest. I smile up at him and he winks at me before placing his lips down firmly on mine.

"Gross! Stop kissing! I wanna watch Star Wars!" Masen shouts.

We break apart and Edward heads into the kitchen to make popcorn while I set up the movie. Masen runs up to his room, saying he'll be right back. He returns a few minutes later with blankets and pillows. "We're gonna snuggle Bella!"

I grin down at his adorable face. His green eyes sparkle just like his daddy's and I have an incredible urge to hug the shit out of him. Instead, I ruffle his hair, trying to keep my distance physically, hoping it'll help me distance myself emotionally. I know I'm lying to myself. There's nothing I can do to distance myself from him or his father. They're slowly making themselves permanent fixtures in my life and my heart.

Edward walks back in with a huge smile on his face, carrying a bowl of popcorn in one hand and three juice boxes in the other.

_Fuck it_.

Whatever happens will happen; I'll enjoy it for as long as I can. I'm not going to miss out on this.

-o-

Masen makes it through the first half hour of the movie, asking a million questions and being super adorable, before passing out in between us on the couch. "Bella, I'm gonna move him up to his room. I'll be right back." Edward kisses my cheek quickly before scooping a mumbling Masen up.

"Love Bella, buys me the bestest presents, favoritest ever."

Edward quickly looks at me like a deer in headlights and I'm sure my expression mirrors his. He blushes a tiny bit before taking Masen upstairs. When he comes back down, he approaches me cautiously, like he's afraid I'm going to bolt. I kind of want to.

Hearing Masen subconsciously say he loves me throws me for a loop. Of course I love him, I love all of my kids, but he's so special to me. Hearing him saying it scares the shit out of me. What if this doesn't work out between Edward and me? How would I act during class with Masen? What if it does work out and things keep progressing? How would I act_ then_ during class with Masen? A million thoughts are running through my head when Edward easily sits down beside me.

"Bella? You okay?" I shake my head. "Shit. Um…I don't know what to say here. It's not like I can apologize for that, you know? He just…he has a huge heart and you're so amazing…you make it easy." My eyes snap to his and he blushes. "I can't blame him you know? Don't…just don't…shit, I don't know. This is awkward for you isn't it?"

I shake my head. "No, it's just…I don't know how to act with him. It's hard. I'll want to hug and kiss him in class and I won't be able to. I'm afraid he's going to slip and call me Bella in class. What if we don't work out, and he's caught in the crossfire? This is all just…very complicated."

Edward gets a panicked look in his eyes before he looks down. "I get it. Uh, if you want, we can just…end it now."

"What?" I almost shriek. "No, no, no. I don't want that. Do…do you?" I hadn't thought about how he must be feeling in this situation. Maybe he's upset that his son loves me. Should I explain to him that lots of young children end up loving their teachers? It's very common, they're so young and spend almost as much time with us as they do their parents.

"Of course not Bella," he says quietly. "We're just getting started and I love…everything about you. I think it's going so good. Well, apart from my child proclaiming his love for you and my ex-wife showing up and getting her ass kicked by you," he chuckles and shakes his head. "I guess this is far from normal, huh?"

I laugh a little. "Yeah, _definitely_ far from normal." Edward looks down and nods. "But…" I run my hand through his hair, pulling his head back so he's looking at me. "That doesn't mean it's wrong."

Edward lurches forward and crashes his lips against mine. The familiar shock hits me just as hard as it always does whenever I touch him. There's always a low thrum of electricity whenever I kiss him. He pushes me back gently, until I'm lying on my back and he's covering me. "Edward," I gasp as I run my hands and up down his chest. I let my hands wander lower until they're at the hem of his shirt. I slide them underneath, loving the feel of his warm skin underneath my hands. I smile against his lips when I feel his defined stomach muscles twitch underneath me.

I continue lower and lower until I'm at the button of his jeans. I pop it open quickly, not giving him a chance to protest. As I lower his zipper it sounds too loud in my ears. "Bella…" he sounds like he's in pain. His face is contorted; his eyes shut tightly, his mouth in a tight line. "Wait…" I don't wait. I keep going, slipping my hand beneath his boxer briefs. "You don't have to…"

"I want to," I whisper into his ear. "I want to so bad, Edward. Please let me touch you?" He groans. "I want to make you feel good." He buries his face in my neck, nodding against my skin. "Are you sure?" I ask, because I don't want to force him. I almost giggle at that.

"Fuck yes Bella. I only have so much self-control."

* * *

**A/N: OH! I know I'm a cock-blocking bitch, but go ahead, let your (sexual?) frustrations out! It needed to end there okay? Here's why: Last night, I sat down and snuggled up with my puppy, prepared to write out the teaser y'all earned. So I wrote…and wrote…and wrote…and before I knew it, there were 15+ pages…and I still wanted to write. :x **

**So here's what I'm gonna do: I'm giving you guys this chapter now. If there are a lot of reviews throughout the day today, I'll finish from where I split (which is the next chapter), tonight and post it tomorrow morning. If not, I'm gonna take the weekend off and enjoy my Patriots and all of my shows. Dexter...The Walking Dead...etc. :P and I'll finish the chapter some time Monday. Are you guys up to the challenge? You want two big new chapters two days in a row? All you gotta do is tell me what you thought about this chapter, so... Review review review! :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. All Twilight related materials belong to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**A/N: Dadward is about to get some! Sorry for the wait. I don't really have an excuse except for: I haven't had enough time to finish this chapter properly. I've been writing small chapters for my new drabble, but I wanted to give this the attention it deserved. It was hard (heh) to find a good solid amount of time to focus on our lovebirds. **

**P.S: I haven't had a chance to edit this, so any mistakes are mine. I'll fix them when I get home tonight. Regardless, I hope you enjoy. :)**

* * *

"_Fuck yes Bella. I only have so much self-control."_

His words set me on fire, causing me to whimper. "Edward…" I whisper into his ear. "Sit up baby." He looks down at me with a confused expression and I smile up at him encouragingly, giving him a little shove to get him in motion.

He stands up, looking down at me through heavy-lidded eyes. Just as he's about to sit down, I stand up and stop him, placing my hands on his hips. "Wait." He arches a questioning eyebrow at me. His other eyebrow joins the arching party on his forehead when I reach for the top of his jeans, shoving them down until they're pooled at his feet. I see him visibly gulp when I tug his boxer briefs down to join his pants. "Much better," I say with a smile as I gently push him backwards; until the back of his legs hit the couch. "Now sit, baby."

He sits down on the couch, spreading his legs when he's settled. Drool pools in my mouth when I finally let myself look at him. His cock is – for lack of a more masculine term – fucking _beautiful_. I wouldn't say he's ginormous, but he's _much _bigger than the five inches I was accustomed to with James. His cock is long and thick, with a wide tip that I have the strongest urge to reach out and taste…so I do.

I flick my tongue out quickly, licking the engorged head with only the very tip of my tongue. "Shiiiit…" Edward groans out and throws his head back. "Bella…Bella wait…you don't-" He doesn't get to finish his sentence. I don't want to hear him tell me _yet again _that I don't have to touch him. I want to touch him. So I wrap my mouth around the head of his cock, gliding my mouth down slowly, taking in every inch of cock until he hits the back of my throat. "Holy fuuuuuck!"

I moan around him, loving the sounds he's making; which makes him whimper and grip my hair. I look up at him and he raises an eyebrow in question, silently asking if it's alright. I nod and moan again. His reaction doesn't disappoint me. "Fuck Bella. God fucking damnit you look so fucking sexy with your hot little mouth wrapped around my cock like that." I place my hands on his thighs for leverage and start pumping my mouth up and down his length, sucking harder when I get to the tip and swirling my tongue all around the ridges of his head before sliding back down until my throat is full all over again.

"I can't…Bella…I can't hold off much longer. Maybe you should…maybe you should stop?" It comes out as a question, like he's not sure if he means what he's saying. I know he doesn't, he's just trying to be polite; a gentleman. I don't want a gentleman right now. I want Edward to let go.

I slide my mouth off of him slowly, looking up at him as my hand continues to pump him. "Edward, baby, I want you to cum in my mouth." His eyes bulge out of his head and I swear his cock _twitches_ in my hand. "I need to taste you so badly. I want this. I _need_ this. Okay?" He nods at me dumbly; his mouth open wide as he stares at me, his expression full of…something I can't identify. Without another word, I wrap my lips back around the wide head of his cock, sucking him down into my mouth slowly until he reaches the back.

Relaxing my throat, I slowly swallow around him, causing his hips to jerk violently. "FUCK!" I do it a few more times, letting my fingers trace around his balls gently. "Aghhh! Fucking fuck! Bellaaaaa!" A second later, hot spurts of thick liquid fill my mouth and I swallow them hungrily. I remove my mouth with a loud pop and begin licking him clean like a fucking lollipop.

"Goddamn Bella," he says with his head thrown back. He runs his hands through his hair and breathes in a few shaky breaths. "Come here, please." He grabs me by my shoulders and pulls me up onto his lap. I snuggle up against his chest, resting my head in the crook between his neck and his shoulder. I sigh in contentment, trying to remember when I've ever felt this happy; I can't remember.

"That was…" Edward trails off quietly, rubbing his hands up and down my arm gently. "That was seriously incredible Bella. I've never…" he coughs and hugs me tightly. I look up and am shocked to see him blushing.

"What's wrong?"

"Huh?" he looks down at me. "Nothing," he shakes his head rapidly. "Nothing at all."

"Edward, tell me. Why are you blushing?"

He scowls. It's adorable. "I'm not blushing!"

"Are too. Spill it."

"That-was-my-first-blow-job," he says in a rush.

I sit up quickly, my mouth open in shock as I stare at his clearly embarrassed face. "What?"

"You heard me."

"What…how…_what_?"

"I've never gotten a blowjob before!" he whisper-yells as he looks around like someone is going to jump out and laugh at him. I start giggling. What? I can't help it. He looks so scared. "Don't laugh at me," he pouts. I remember how sweet he was when he found out that no guy has given me an orgasm and that sobers me quickly. I stop laughing and readjust myself on his lap until I'm straddling him.

"I'm sorry." I kiss his lips quickly. "That's just…really hard to believe."

"Why?"

"Edward! Look at you. You're so fucking sexy. How could you not have had girls lining up for a shot at you?"

He shrugs, completely ignoring my sexy compliment. "I don't know. Tanya was my first. I've never been with anyone else…except you."

To say I'm shocked would be a complete understatement. "Wow," I breathe, running my hands through his hair. "She really got her claws into your early, didn't she?" He gives me a small awkward smile and shrugs again. "So she never…"

"No," he shakes his head. "She said she thought that was, uh, gross. She wouldn't…um…let me go down on her either."

_What the actual fuck_?

"Okay, that bitch is ten times crazier than I ever gave her credit for." He guffaws, pulling me closer to him and hugging me tightly. A thought hits me. "So wait…the other night, when you, uh…did that…that was your _first _time doing that?"

He gives me a huge grin and nods. "That's why I didn't want you to touch me. I just…couldn't get enough of you Bella. You taste so fucking amazing, you have no idea. It's like feasting on my favorite candy on Christmas." My blush erupts over my face quickly. "I would bury my face in between your thighs forever if you'd let me."

His words set me on fire and I'm suddenly aware that he's still naked from the waist down. I can feel the evidence of that fact growing against my ass. I gently grind said ass back against him, causing him to groan loudly. I smile and do it again, kissing him hungrily as I feel him grow harder. "Bella…" he gasps in between kisses. "Too much clothes…take these off…now."

I stand up quickly, barely getting my jeans off before he pulls me back down on top of him. I can feel him so much better now with only my tiny thong separating us. He grabs my ass, readjusting me on top of him, causing me to gasp when the head of his cock presses against my clit. "Oh my god," I groan against his neck. "You feel so fucking good." Using his hands' position on my ass, he pulls me back and forth over his cock causing delicious friction that I desperately need.

He moves his hands from my ass, sliding them up my rib cage, until his talented fingers are pinching and tugging my nipples through my t-shirt. "No bra huh? You're a very naughty girl Isabella." Something about him using my full name, and saying it in that _fuck-hot_ voice, turns me on even more. I grip his shoulders and start riding his cock, sliding my covered pussy up and down his shaft and grinding my clit against the head on each pass. He suddenly lifts up my shirt and buries his face beneath it, sucking and licking and biting each nipple, effectively driving me crazy.

"Edward!" I gasp as I feel my orgasm approaching. "I'm gonna…oh! Fuck!" My entire body seizes up before I feel tingles spread like fire into every extremity. I continue my ministrations, not stopping until Edward is panting into my skin.

"Fuck Bella…goddamn you're wet for me aren't you? I can fucking feel it. Shit…shit…FUCK!" I feel his release spill onto my stomach and I moan when I feel it sliding down lower…settling onto the front of my thong. Edward looks down and then back up to my face. "Shit," he blushes. "Sorry about that."

"Don't be sorry, that was sexy."

He grins up at me. "Yeah?"

"Mhmm," I mumble as I stand up on wobbly legs. "Would you like a souvenir?" I slip my panties down my thighs and smile when Edward groans. I lift my panties up with my right foot and hold it out in front of his face.

He whimpers as he takes them from me, standing up and pulling up his boxers and jeans, shoving my panties in his pocket with a smirk. "Thank you." He kisses my lips before grabbing a napkin from underneath my now cold cup of coffee. "Here," he starts wiping off my stomach, cleaning me gently. I honestly feel like crying because the gesture is just too fucking sweet.

A couple of minutes later, just as I'm adjusting my tank top, the front door opens. Both of our heads snap up and our eyes lock from across the living room as Rosalie's voice rings out. "Edward! I'm back. Can you help me with these bags?"

"Uh, yeah I'll be right there."

I hold up a shushing finger, planning on sneaking out somehow. I don't know why I don't want her to know I'm still here. I mean, I was sleeping when she left so I'm sure she'd assume I'm here anyway. Maybe because she'd probably also assume that we'd been fooling around while she was gone.

"Tell Bella to come and help too, as soon as she fixes her sex hair." My mouth drops open again and I can feel my face heat with a seriously embarrassed blush.

Edward walks up to me with outstretched arms. "It's okay Bella. She's just fucking around with us. She doesn't know what went on. Don't be embarrassed, okay?" I nod. "Hey," he kisses me gently. "I had so much fun with you today."

"I had fun with you too."

"Come on fuckers!"

We both snicker at Rosalie's words and head out to help…holding hands the entire way.

Luckily I'm able to keep my pre-teen squeal to myself.

-o-

The rest of the month flies by, and before I know it, it's Halloween.

"Bella, do you think I look cool?" Masen asks me as he adjusts his Batman mask.

"I think you look amazing, Mase."

Over the last few weeks, Masen and I have become incredibly close. I guess that's inevitable when you spend six hours a day together, plus every waking minute of the weekend.

"Daddy!" he yells up the stairs. "Bella is here!"

Seconds later, Edward is at the top of the stairs. As I take him in, I burst into giggles. He's dressed as Robin, as previously decided. "Holy poop Batman! Thank you for warning me of Bat Girl's presence!"

Yes, I'm Bat Girl.

"Nice tights Edward," I say with a chuckle. He walks toward me with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh yeah, Bella? You like them?" His voice is liquid sex and my throat instantly runs dry. Over the past few weeks, Edward and I haven't gone any further sexually, instead learning each other's bodies with our hands and mouths.

Trust me, I'm not complaining. I'm _very_ satisfied. But right now…seeing him look goofily adorable for the sake of his son's happiness, and hearing his voice…I want him more than I ever have before.

"I love them," I say with a smile. "Do you like my tights?" I step back and let him see the awesomeness that is my costume. His mouth pops open as he eyes my outfit. He nods slowly, stepping closer to me and wrapping his arms around my waist.

I lean in and stretch up on my toes so I can whisper in his ear. "Is that a batarang in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?" He lets out a huge laugh, hugging me to him tightly as he lets me feel his _batarang_.

"I'm very happy to see you love." My heart hammers in my chest when he calls me love. His hands slide down to my ass, squeezing firmly as he discreetly grinds against me. With only the thin material of our costumes between us, I feel him right there, and I swear my eyes almost cross at the simple contact.

"Let's go! I need candy!"

We both laugh at Masen's outburst and prepare to leave, only to open the front door to the smiling faces of the world's best grandparents.

"Oh!" Esme shouts before clapping her hands over her mouth. Carlisle rubs her shoulder as she takes a few deep breaths. She's trying not to cry. "You all look…so…so…adorable!" And there go the tears. I reach out and pull her into a tight hug, trying to help her settle her emotions. She's been a wreck lately anytime she sees the three of us together. It puts Edward on edge. Every time she has an outburst he's by my side, gripping my hand and eyeing me like I'm going to make a run for it.

Tonight is no different. I roll my eyes when his hand grips mine. "I'm here," I mouth to him, earning a cute grin from my Robin.

"Mom, release Bella please. We need to get going or all of the good candy is going to be gone." I wish I could say he said that for Masen's benefit, but his pout is too realistic. He wants to get the candy for himself and he knows it. He's too fucking adorable.

"I just need to take a few pictures Edward." She reaches into her purse and pulls out a huge professional looking camera.

And then proceeds to blind us with the flash, taking far more than "a few" pictures.

-o-

"Trick or treat smell my feet, give me something good to eat! If you don't, I don't care, I'll pull down my underwear!"

"Daddy! Don't say that anymore." Masen rolls his eyes and crosses his arms, making me burst out laughing. The couple handing out candy joins me, along with a few other parents.

As we're walking away, Edward scoops Masen up. "C'mon Mase, you gotta sing the song. That's when you get the best candy!"

His eyes light up as he looks at his father. "Really?" Edward nods. Masen looks to me for confirmation. "Is he telling the truth Bella?"

Edward gives me a pleading look and I can't help but him, knowing I'll receive a blinding smile. "Of course! Everyone knows that." I'm not disappointed with my reward. His smile takes up his entire face.

"Thank you," he mouths to me. I wink at him and he stifles a groan, placing Masen back down in between us. He holds each of our hands as walk to the next house.

"Well isn't that just adorable," I hear a familiar voice say from behind us. I grimace when I see its Mike Newton. "Hello Ms. Swan, enjoying your Halloween?"

"Yes, Mr. Newton. How are you enjoying yours?"

"We're having a blast." I look down to see his son smiling up at me wearing a Buzz Lightyear costume. Looking at Mike again, I notice he's Woody.

"Wow you two look great!"

"Thank you. You look amazing."

"Um, thanks."

I feel Edward shift his body until he's behind me and almost smirk when he wraps a possessive arm around my waist. "My Bat Girl always looks incredible. We've got a lot more candy to get, so we'll see you guys later." He picks Masen up and places him on his hip and then grips my hand, pulling me alongside him down the sidewalk. He looks back and when he looks at me again his face is in a permanent scowl. When we arrive at the next house, Masen walks up to the door with a group of trick or treaters.

"Hey," I swing our hands between us until he turns to face me. "Stop with the scowl. Mike is long gone; don't let him ruin our night."

He sighs and kisses the back of my hand. "I know. I'm sorry. He's just fucking annoying."

"We can't play later if you're going to be Mr. Moody."

"Play?" he asks with an arched brow.

"Mhmm," I bite my lip and wink, causing him to groan deeply and pull me against him in a tight hug. "We're going to play Robin gets Bat Girl."

"I already have Bat Girl," he says as he squeezes me even tighter.

"True, but you don't have me naked."

"Shit, Bella. Stop saying shit like that in public," he lets out a breathless chuckle as he buries his face in my hair.

"Sorry," I giggle. We stay that way, his arms wrapped around my waist, mine wrapped around his neck; his face buried in my hair, my face buried in his neck, until Masen pushes his way in between us.

"Next house!" he pronounces, causing Edward and I to laugh.

"Onward Batman! Lead the way."

"I gotta hold your hands Daddy," Masen says with an eye roll before latching on to our hands and dragging us down the street.

-o-

My phone ringing startles me, making me jump out of my skin. I roll my eyes, silently scolding myself for day-dreaming about last week with Edward yet again. You would too if you had Edward rip a costume off your body and bury his face in between your thighs for hours afterwards.

"Hello?"

Damn, I did it again. I shake the memories from my brain and focus on the phone call.

"Hey Dad, sorry, I spaced out."

He chuckles at me before laying into me. "What's this I hear about you dating some guy?"

"Who told you that?"

"Forks is a small town Bella."

He's right about that. I'm surprised he went this long without finding out actually. Everyone's always telling the Chief the best gossip.

"I didn't want to tell you until it was serious Dad."

"Is it serious?"

Is it? I seriously consider his question. Over the last month everything has gone great, except for the whole Tanya debacle, which luckily was the only time I've had to witness her craziness. I love Masen and I love…no. Whoa. Stop that thought. It's way too soon for that shit. I like Edward…a lot. I guess it is serious. I decide to answer him truthfully, even though it scares me to say it out loud. "Yeah, it's really serious."

"Well then I expect him to be at dinner tomorrow with the rest of the gang."

_Shit_.

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**A/N: Dun dun dun. Charlie wants to meet Edward! What did you guys think of this chapter? Please let me know! I'd love to read your reviews when I get home from seeing Breaking Dawn! Who else is going? Are you as excited as I am? I doubt it. :P If you review, you'll get a teaser of chapter 11! So, you know what to do. Go ahead, click that little button and spill your guts. :)**

**P.S: There's a link to their costumes on my profile. I just added them, so...you all know how ff likes to take forever. Check back later.  
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	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Okay! So…BREAKING DAWN WAS FUCKING AWESOME! I hope everyone had a chance to see it. I'm going next weekend again with my other BFF, who just recently got into Twilight; which means I'll be answering a million questions throughout it. -_-**

**Anyway! Thanks for all of your reviews and support! I'm sorry that I didn't send out the teaser, but with Thanksgiving and Black Friday and all of the craziness this week brings, I figured you would want a new chapter instead of just a teaser right? I hope everyone has a fantastic Thanksgiving! And anyone not in America…have a fantastic Thursday! Lol**

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"Breathe Edward."

"Right," he says with a nod.

I reach over and run my fingertips over his knuckles, trying to loosen them enough to where they're not bright white. "Relax babe." I lean over the middle console and kiss his neck, running my lips up to his ear where I whisper, "It'll be okay."

None of it seems to help. "I don't know about that."

"Edward…"

"This isn't the best idea."

"Edward, I met your parents. Hell, I met half of your damn family."

"None of them carry a gun."

"Emmett does."

He rolls his eyes and turns to face me. "He's half a world away and even when you do meet him, he won't be carrying around an M16 on his hip, _and_ he wouldn't have a reason to shoot you anyway."

"And my father does?"

He looks at me like I have five heads. "Bella…I've defiled his daughter. He wants to kill me."

"He doesn't even know you! Stop being so ridiculous."

"I'm not being ridiculous."

I'm about to explain to him exactly how he's being ridiculous, when the front door to my childhood home bangs open, and I see my father…standing there with a shotgun.

_Fuck_. This should be fun.

-o-

"So, Edwaaard," my father drags out his name to make him more nervous as he cleans his shotgun. "You're divorced?"

Edwards face brightens, showing that he's clearly embarrassed, but he answers truthfully. "No Sir. I'm actually legally separated right now. I'll be attending the divorce hearing next month."

"So you're still technically married to another woman while you see my daughter? What kind of girl do you think she is?"

Edward opens his mouth only to close it again. "Daddy! Knock it off. You're being a jerk." I see his moustache twitch, a clear sign that he's putting Edward through hell for his own amusement, and it pisses me off. I place my hand on my hip and cock an eyebrow at him, letting him silently know that I am pissed, and I smile in satisfaction when I see his eyes widen.

He clears his throat, and I'm expecting him to apologize as I look at him smugly. Instead he sets his shoulders and looks me right in the eye. "Bella, Edward and I need to talk. Please excuse us." He stands without saying another word to me or sparing me another glance. "Edward? Come on boy," he calls over his shoulder.

I stand there, shocked, as they both walk out the front door and leave me standing in the living room alone. I pace around for a good ten minutes before I hear the screen door slam shut, alerting me of their presence. I rush to Edward's side, looking him over quickly for any bruises as he and my dad both chuckle at me. "What's so funny?"

"He's fine Bells. Jeez, ya act like I'd hurt the boy."

"I'm fine Bella," Edward whispers against my cheek before kissing it sweetly. "We just had some things to discuss."

"Like?"

"Don't you worry about us menfolk Bells. What Edward and I discussed is between us. Ain't that right Ed?"

"That's right Sir."

I don't say anything; instead I nod along, pretending like they have some sort of control; even though we all know that they don't. I'll just make Edward tell me later on the drive home.

-o-

"I have arrived!"

I smile when I hear Jessica's voice from the front hall and rush toward her. "Hey!" I shout happily as I launch myself at her. I hug her tightly, feeling as if I haven't seen her in years instead of a few days. She's been weirdly absent from my life lately, and it feels weird to not have someone hounding me about my sex life.

"Hey. What's with the death grip?" Even though she's teasing me, she holds me just as tight.

"I need you to save me." She chuckles at me, thinking that I'm joking. "I'm serious Jess! Charlie is going in for the kill. Where's Alice?" Alice is my father's favorite person. Seriously. I think he loves her more than me sometimes, that's how close the two of them are.

"She's getting Charlie's pie, of course." We both roll our eyes. Alice brings my dad a different flavor of pie every single week.

"What flavor is it this week?"

"Blueberry…but I still say his favorite flavor would be Alice's _pie_."

"Jessica Stanley! That is so fucking disgusting. I cannot handle that shit today, so shut your mouth."

She just laughs at me, pushing past me and rushing into the living room. You probably won't believe me, but I'm more nervous about Edward handling Jessica than Charlie. I fear for his sanity.

"Oh my God! You're way hotter than Bella gave you credit for."

See?

I hurry into the living room and see Jessica hugging Edward tightly. He looks over her shoulder at me with wide eyes, mouthing "help me" over and over again. I stifle a laugh as I make my way over to the two of them. "Jess?" I ask as I grab her hands and unclench them, finally releasing my boyfriend. "Why don't you come and help me set the table?"

"But I wanna stay here and stare at Edward."

Yes, she seriously just said that. Out loud.

Thankfully, Alice chooses that second to walk into the living room, quickly making the awkward tension disappear. "Hello, you must be Edward. I'm Alice. The second half of the greatest best friend in the world." Edward gives her a confused look. "Jessica and I are a package deal. I'm the sane to her crazy." She winks at him and gives him a quick hug before turning her attention to my father. "Charlie! I missed you." She hugs him tightly before handing him the pie.

"What flavor is it this week Alice?" he asks her with a twinkle in his eye.

"Blueberry!" she says happily, causing my father to grin and chuckle.

"Sounds delicious, Alice."

"What am I? Chopped liver?" I ask with a smirk. She turns around and hugs me fiercely, quickly whispering in my ear that she'll handle Charlie at dinner. I give her an extra squeeze and kiss her cheek. "Thank you." She winks at me before turning back to my dad.

I drag Jessica into the kitchen with me and leave Edward to stare at my father and best friend. It looked like he was trying to figure out if there's something going on between the two of them, which is what most people think; which is fucking _gross_.

A few minutes later he joins Jessica and I in the kitchen. It must have gotten real awkward in there if he'd rather face Jessica. I don't even wanna think about it. I'd be worried if Alice wasn't so in love with Jasper.

-o-

Dinner goes off without a hitch. Charlie backs off and talks to Edward like a normal person, mostly about sports, and they spend a half an hour talking about different fishing lures. No, I'm not fucking joking. Trust me, I wish I was. Jessica doesn't scare the shit out of Edward by asking him awkward and inappropriate questions, which worries me more than calms me. Jessica is on her best behavior, which means she's going to either do something really bad soon, or deliver some really bad news. I don't know which would be worse. Alice and my dad talk about Jasper, thankfully, instead of making date plans or something else that would make me yet again question their relationship.

Yes everything is going perfect.

"Hellooooo!"

Until now.

_Shit_.

Five seconds after his voice rings out, Jake comes skidding into the small dining room.

"Yo! Whaddup?" he asks with a cheeky grin, looking at every face at the table. "Oh! A new face. Who are you?" he asks as he folds his hands over his chest, jutting out his chin like he's some sort of badass. What the fuck is his deal?

"Who are you?" Edward asks with a nod and a raised eyebrow. Damn his eyebrows are sexy. No! Focus Bella! This is a serious situation. I need to handle this the right way.

I wasn't planning on Jake being here tonight. In fact, the whole reason Edward is here right now is because Jake wasn't supposed to be. He'd told me that he had some hot date. I narrow my eyes at him. "What are you doing here Jake?" My voice sounds a little colder than I'd meant for it to, but he's pissing me off. He clearly lied to me. I look back and forth between Alice and Jessica, trying to figure out which one of them helped him out with his little scheme.

Jessica avoids eye contact with me while she pushes her potatoes around on her plate. Ding ding ding, we've got a snitch. I'll deal with her later.

"Well, my plans fell through, so I figured I'd come by to have some of your delicious cooking Bells."

Edward looks between Jake and me, probably trying to figure out our relationship, which I know is exactly what Jake wants. He pulled the same shit with James when he first met him during his visit to Arizona. I didn't really care when he did it with James, which shows how drastically different my relationship with Edward is; because right now I wanna junk punch my best friend.

"Jake can I talk to you in the kitchen for a minute?" His eyes widen slightly, probably because I'm giving him the bitch brow. "You too Jess. I need your help with the dessert."

"But Alice's pie is right here." She smiles points to the pie in the middle of the table, clearly trying to avoid my wrath.

I give her a bright fake ass smile. "I need your help with the ice cream."

Her smile falls and she gets up out of her chair, moving like she's going to her death instead of the kitchen. She's not far off in that thought.

Once we're in the kitchen, I whirl around and place my hands on my hips. "What. The. Fuck?"

"Hm?" Jessica asks as she looks through the freezer.

"Don't act like you didn't help him with this Jessica!" I whisper-yell, trying to keep my voice down so Edward doesn't hear. I turn around and face Jacob, letting him feel my full glare. He takes a step back and holds out his hands. When he opens his mouth to speak, I point a finger at him to shush him. "You listen to me Jacob Black. You are not going to try and fuck with Edward, do you understand me? He's already dealt with Charlie; he doesn't need you too in the same damn day, which is why I planned this without you."

He looks hurt and my face softens slightly. "Jake. You know that I love you. You're like a big brother to me and an important part of my life…but…Edward is important to me too now. This isn't the same as it was with James, okay? I don't want to play games and there's no test of yours that he needs to pass. I wanted you two to meet, I'm not trying to be mean by not including you in this dinner meet and greet. I just didn't want you to gang up on him with Charlie. The fact that you're here doesn't change that." I take a deep breath, done with my mini speech and wait for him to speak.

He stares at me for a solid minute before opening his mouth. "Damn Bells. Relax. I wasn't going to fuck with him." I arch an eyebrow at him and he chuckles slightly. "Okay, I was gonna fuck with him a little bit. But come on Bells, I know he's not like James. I wouldn't ruin it for you or anything like that." He shoves his hands in his pockets and looks down, making me feel like shit. I can tell he's being sincere.

"I'm sorry Jake. You know that I wasn't doing it to be mean right?" He nods but doesn't look up. "Jake, I'm serious. I wanted you and him to meet with it being just us three. I was going to invite you over for drinks or something so we could all hang out. You just have to realize that you and Charlie together can be intimidating."

"It's okay Bella. I get why you did it. Can I stay? I promise I'll be good." He gives me a soft smile, the one designated for me in his most sincere moments. I smile back at him and nod, opening my arms to him. He walks over and hugs me tightly. "I want you to be happy remember? I'd never do anything to fuck that up. Now can I go talk to Mr. Perfect?" I scowl at him and he giggles. Straight up giggles, like a little girl. "I'm just kidding Bells. Take a chill pill."

I pull back and let out my own giggle. "Who says that anymore?"

"Me, duh." He rolls his eyes.

"Hello! I could use some help here."

We both look over to Jessica, laughing as she tries to juggle six bowls of ice cream in her arms. Jake quickly takes two from her, leading the way out of my dad's tiny kitchen. "Hey," I call out to her, stopping her from going into the dining room. When I'm right beside her, I lean over and whisper, "I know you're keeping something from me. I'll wait until you're ready to talk, but I won't wait much longer. Got it?" I give her my serious stare, the one that lets her know I'm getting to the end of my patience with the sneakery she's got going on.

She sighs and nods. "Fine, give me a few days, okay? We'll get coffee or something and talk."

"It's nothing bad right?" I ask, trying to read her face for any sign.

"I don't know. I don't think it's bad, but I don't know what_ you_ will think." She looks like she's about to throw up, so I let it go.

"Let's talk Wednesday, okay?"

"Okay."

-o-

"So…that was interesting."

I remove my head from the cool window and look over at Edward. He's not looking at me. He's watching the road carefully; too carefully really. "What's wrong?" I ask, not quite sure if something_ is_ wrong, but something doesn't feel right. If that makes sense; it probably doesn't. It barely makes sense to me.

"Nothing," he says with a shrug while he still continues to _not_ look at me. It's kind of pissing me off if I'm being honest.

"Okay."

I can be short too. And immature. But whatever, he started it.

_There's that immaturity again_.

Shut. Up.

The rest of the ride is silent, and when he pulls onto our street, I'm out of the car the second it's stopped in front of his house. I stalk across the street, not saying a word to him as I make my way toward my house. I ignore his footsteps that I hear behind me as I put the key into the lock. I leave the front door open, knowing he's going to follow me in. I don't stop. I head straight into my room, kicking off my shoes and hanging up my jacket before finally turning around and facing him.

He's looking everywhere but at me.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

"I…"

"Edward, just spit it the fuck out." My voice may have been a little harsh, but the whole silent treatment thing really irks me.

He huffs and crosses his arms over his chest. "Fine," he says in a clipped tone. I deserve it so I ignore it. "Did you and Jake date?"

I scoff. "No! Is that what this is about?"

"Did you fuck him?"

My mouth pops open. I'm shocked at his crass question and even more shocked that he had the balls to ask me that. "Excuse me?"

His face reddens and he stutters slightly. "Y-you heard me! Answer the question Bella." I arch an eyebrow at him. "Please," he adds his voice softening as he runs his hand through his already messy hair. I've noticed it's a nervous habit of his.

"Not that it's any of your business, but no, Jacob and I have never _fucked_. I told you that James is the only other person I've been with. I told you that you were the only one who ever…" I trail off, not finishing _that_ sentence.

He looks down, unable to hold eye contact with me when I stare at him in defiance. He shoves his hands in his pockets. "I'm sorry," he says quietly; so quietly that I'm not sure if he actually said it or I just imagined it. "Bella…" He takes a step toward me and I take a step back. "Fuck," he mutters, jamming both hands into his hair this time. "I'll just…I'm gonna go, okay? I'm really fucking sorry. I'll call you later."

He turns around to leave and my heart clenches painfully in my chest. "Edward, wait." He stops but doesn't turn around. "Come here please." I take a seat on the edge of my bed and pat the spot next to me. He shuffles over toward my bed with his head down again. Instead of sitting next to me, he kneels on the floor in front of me, looking up into my eyes with the saddest expression I've ever seen on his beautiful face.

"I'm sorry Bella," he says again, rubbing his hands up and down my thighs. The touch soothes me somehow, making me feel relaxed and comforted, even when I'm mad at him. How the fuck does he do that? "I should've never asked you that."

"No, you shouldn't have. You…that was really rude and you kind of hurt my feelings. Did you really think I'd lie about something so personal?" I look away from his eyes, feeling embarrassed that I'm so sensitive.

"No I don't think you'd lie at all. I just…I guess there's some unresolved issues with trust. It's not your fault; it's my baggage that I need to deal with. I know I hurt your feelings, and that's nothing to be embarrassed of." My eyes snap to his and he gives me a small smile. "I know you are, but please don't be. I'm the one who should be embarrassed. I acted like a total fucking dick. I was just…I guess I felt overwhelmed." He lets out a frustrated laugh and attacks his hair again. "I was overwhelmed. That's funny. You met my entire family and had a showdown with my ex, and made it through perfectly fine. I meet your dad and a few friends and freak the fuck out."

"Edward," I try to interrupt, but he shakes his head and continues.

"No Bella, listen please." I nod. "I just…I was so fucking nervous about today. I wanted your dad to like me. I mean, it's not easy going to meet the girl who you love's father, you know? And it's definitely not easy doing that when you're still technically married and already have a damn kid. I was so afraid he'd hate me before he even had the chance to meet me. And then he had that talk with me…and then Jake showed up. He'd mentioned Jake to me and I just let what he said get to me. I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

"What did he say to you about Jake?"

"Don't worry about that. It's not important, but…"

Wait a fucking second. _The girl who you love_? Hold the fuck up.

"Edward?" I interrupt again.

"Yeah?"

"The girl who you love?"

His eyes widen and I can see him swallow nervously before he slowly nods. "Shit. Uh, I didn't mean to say that. I mean, I did mean it, I _do_ mean it…I just didn't wanna tell you like that or right now. I know it's too soon and you don't have to say it back but goddamn it Bella I fucking-"

I interrupt him yet again, but this time it's with my lips. I crash my lips against his, silencing his words and eliciting his moans. We kiss hungrily, eagerly devouring each other's flesh as he stands; only to push me backwards and press his body down on top of mine. My legs open quickly on their own accord, wrapping around his waist and anchoring him to me.

I break the kiss, desperately needing oxygen. I attack his neck with kisses, panting like a cat in heat against his delicious skin as I lick and taste him over and over again. "Bella…" he gasps as I suck roughly on the skin at the base of his throat. "Don't you…fuck…don't you wanna…damn that feels good…don't you think we need to talk?"

"No," I murmur against his warm flesh. "Not now. Later."

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**A/N: Do you wanna know what Charlie said to Edward? Review and you'll get an outtake of that conversation on Friday. :) I'm sure you're all pissed that I cockblocked you, so…I'm gonna go hide now… ;)**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I'm glad that everyone liked Charlie's talk with our boy! Hopefully you guys understand where poor Eddie boy was coming from with the anger and insecurities; but we all know how he loves to overact and not talk shit out, right? Just so you all know…my home life is a lil bit rough right now, so it's hard for me to find huge amounts of time to write every day. I'm trying to do about 500 words a day on each chapter, completing each in a few days' time (hopefully a week or less). Anyway, thanks so much for your reviews and general love for this story, because I love you all too! Guess what? No more cockblocking! Enjoy. ;)**

* * *

I expect Edward to pull back. I expect Edward to try to convince me that we really need to talk. Edward does neither of those things. _Thank fucking God_.

His lips are on mine and before I know it, his tongue is in my mouth, exploring every inch of it, successfully pulling moans from my throat. I run my hands to the bottom of his t-shirt, sliding them underneath and searching for some _much needed_ skin-to-skin contact.

I scrape my nails along his abs, causing him to grunt and thrust his hips against me. _Fuck_ that feels good. I do it again and am rewarded with another delicious movement of his hips. _Yes_.

I break our kiss, gasping for air as his lips assault my neck. His tongue flicks out, licking all along my throat. He nips at my skin with his teeth causing me to moan like a damn whore. "Edward," I gasp out his name as I thrust my hips up to his. "Please, please, _please_." I'm not sure what I'm begging for, but I just know that I need _more_; more friction, more Edward, just more _everything_ as long as it's him that's giving it to me.

When I was with James, sex was like an item on a check list. A chore I needed to perform. I've never felt this way before. I've never felt such passion, such need. I feel literally consumed by my need for him.

"What do you want Bella? Tell me what you need."

"You," I answer easily. "I need _you _right now."

He stands up, never breaking eye contact as he strips down to his boxer briefs. My mouth goes dry when I see the thin cotton straining to contain the monster that is his erection. I sit up and reach out to touch him when he grabs my hand. "Strip," he commands in a sexy as fuck voice.

For some reason, I don't feel shy or embarrassed. When his dark green eyes roam over me I feel confident and sexy. My confidence only grows when I'm in nothing but my panties. "Fuck," he groans. "You're so sexy Bella. So fucking perfect, do you know that?" He climbs onto the bed, pushing me back gently until he's hovering over me. I don't answer, so he grips my chin with one hand. "Do you?"

"I…just touch me."

"Answer me."

I narrow my eyes at him. "Yes I know that."

His eyes widen and he smirks. "Oh yeah? Somene's cocky huh?" he teases with a laugh.

"No, I think you're the one who's cocky." I slide my hand slowly down his abs, slipping it inside his boxer briefs, wrapping my fingers around his warm hard shaft. "Mmm, yes, definitely you."

"Fuck," he drops his forehead against mine, breathing heavily against my skin. I slide my hand up and down slowly, gently pumping him a few times. He pulls back, looking down at me with fire in his eyes. "I want you so fucking badly. Why do I need you so much?"

I'm sure it's a rhetorical question, but I answer him breathlessly anyway. "I need you just as much baby. Please," I lick along his chin. "You want me right?" He growls and I take that as a yes. "Then take me."

I giggle when he growls again, but it quickly turns to a gasp when my panties are all but torn from my body. I feel him wiggling out of his boxers, his mess of hair tickling my face as he tries to remove them completely. I giggle again and he sighs, looking up at me with an exaggerated pout. "If you keep laughing, I'm gonna cry." That only makes me laugh more. "Bellaaaaa…"

"I-I'm sorry," I try to sound sincere in between my bouts of giggles but it's pretty much impossible. He sighs again and shoves his face into my neck. "Hey," I whisper into his hair. I hear a muffled reply and I almost giggle again, but I hold it back…barely. "I'm sorry. I really am. I didn't mean to laugh, you're just such a…"

"Loser?"

I scoff. "No. I was going to say you're such a cutie. You're irresistibly adorable."

He looks up at me with an adorably confused expression. I stare at his scrunched up nose, wrinkly forehead, crinkled eyes, and my heart clenches violently in my chest. "I love you," I breathe suddenly, simply because I have to. "I love you so much."

His face clears of confusion and morphs quickly into desire. His lips settle against mine, fitting perfectly as always. We melt together, blending into each other so well that I can't tell where he ends and I begin. I break the kiss with an audible gasp when I feel the head of his hard cock right there; right against the soaked lips of my dripping pussy. "Edward, now…please, right now."

He reaches between us, grabbing his cock and rubbing the head up and down my lips, pressing firmly against my clit with each pass. I groan, both loving and hating the minimal friction. Loving it because it feels so fucking good and hating it because it just isn't enough. Maybe nothing will ever be enough; not with him. I know I'll always want more, and it scares the fuck out of me.

Just as I'm about to beg him to fuck me, he sinks into me. We both gasp and groan and grunt as he enters me slowly. Each inch that enters me feels more agonizingly delicious than the last and when he's finally seated deep inside me, I let out a content sigh. I've never felt so full, so complete, in my entire life…not until this moment. Not until Edward.

"Fuck Bella. So fucking tight. So good. I…" his groans drown out the rest of his words. But that's fine with me. I don't want words. I want him. I want him everywhere. _Always_.

I wrap my arms around his neck, sliding my hands up into his hair where I grip it roughly, yanking his head down toward mine and crashing my lips against his, seeking immediate entrance to his mouth with my eager tongue. As our tongues swirl together, the pace of his hips quicken. Gone is the slow and gentle rhythm, suddenly replaced with a rough and passionate force.

"Fuck!" Edward roars out as his hips slap against mine. "I'm not gonna…been too long…feels too fucking good…I need…Bella…touch yourself." His eyes bore into mine. "Touch yourself for me baby. I want your cum all over my cock. Can you do that for me?"

_Oh my fucking God_. "Yesss," I practically purr. He groans when my walls tighten around him further, gripping him fiercely. His thrusts become sharper and more erratic and my eyes cross when he suddenly moves my fingers out of his way and pinches my clit. The pain mixed with pleasure sends me over the edge. I silently scream; all of the air is sucked right out of my body as the intense feeling of pure fucking bliss takes over every one of my senses.

"Fuuuuck," Edward grunts into my skin as my pussy continues to spasm, milking him of every drop he has to give me. I smile when I feel him cum inside me; filling me. Our sweaty chests crash together as we both desperately gasp for oxygen.

"Wow."

I say it both because it's true and it's all I can fucking say at this point; multi-syllable words aren't going to happen right now.

"Damn."

I guess Edward feels the same.

I run my hands through his sweaty hair, feeling completely blissed out until he pulls out of me slowly. We both hiss at the loss of contact. I smile when he snuggles up against me instantly…and then I have a fucking panic attack. "Edward!" I practically scream his name, causing him to yelp and jump up.

"What? What's wrong? Shit, did I hurt you?"

"No, no. We…" Fuck why is this so embarrassing after what we just did? "We didn't use a condom." I expect him to freak the fuck out right along with me, but he doesn't, which makes me freak out even more. "Why aren't you freaking out? We just…that was so…it was…irresponsible!" I never do _anything_ irresponsible.

"Bella…calm down baby, please." He says in a too calm voice. "Listen…are you on the pill?" His cheeks turn pink with his adorable blush. I bite my lip and nod. "Good," he smiles at me sweetly. "I haven't…uh…been with anyone since Tanya and that was a _very _long time ago. You haven't been with anyone since James right?"

"Right," I answer, feeling super awkward. "I got tested too. I…um…I'm clean." God. This is awful.

"I trust you Bella." He kisses me chastely on the lips before snuggling into my neck. "So we're covered right? No reason to freak out."

"Mhm," I mumble as I relax some.

"Plus," he says quietly before licking the tip of his tongue up the side of my neck. "I love being inside you with no barriers. Your pussy feels so fucking good around my cock." _Holy fucking shit_. Where the hell did this Edward come from?

My breathing becomes heavy and my mouth goes dry. I'm pretty sure every bit of moisture fled between my legs after that sentence.

"Yeah?" I ask weakly, rolling my eyes at myself.

I feel him smile against my skin before whispering directly into my ear. "Yeah. Do you want me to show you how much?"

"Yes," I breathe.

-o-

I throw my phone onto my bed and huff, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring at it like it's my enemy.

"What's wrong?" Edward asks as he exits the bathroom, wrapping his arms around me from behind. "Who do I need to kill?" I laugh at his lame joke and he hugs me tighter. "But seriously Bella, what's wrong? You can tell me."

I step away from his grasp, holding out my hand to him. He takes it easily and I lead him over to the bed. I lay down, smiling when he climbs in behind me and wraps his body around mine. He kisses my neck softly, making me sigh before I dig into my current issues with Jessica.

"Well…" he trails off as he runs his fingertips along my thighs. Damn, I should've put pants on. This is too distracting. "You just left her a message ten minutes ago right?" I nod. "Give her some more time to call you back. And plus it's…six in the morning."

"But in the message I told her that we had sex." He chuckles deeply. "I expected her to call me back as soon as I hung up."

"Maybe…she's having sex?" he asks with a twinge of embarrassment in his tone. "I hope you don't think that's rude. I'm just saying it's…possible. I mean, look at us." I look up at his handsome face to see him smirking proudly. I'm not even going to deny it or call him a cocky bastard because he gave me three huge orgasms between last night and this morning. He deserves to gloat.

"Mhmm," I hum. "Well if she had great sex like I did last night…I'm not expecting a call for a few days." He laughs and pulls me closer. "Ugh," I groan after a few minutes. "I need to get up and get dressed."

"No," he pouts adorably.

"Yep." I use every ounce of will power I possess to push him away slightly so I can get up out of my warm Edward filled bed. It almost makes me want to cry. "I need to get to school and you need to get home and get my favorite student ready."

He groans as he gets out of bed but is all smiles by the time he walks over to me. "Get your fine ass to school and teach those kids to count or some shit." He kisses me quickly, making me giggle against his lips.

"One of those kids is your kid you know. Shouldn't you want me to do more than teach him to count or some shit?"

He grins down at me while pointing to his head. "He's got my awesome brains. He's good."

I giggle and shove his cocky ass away. "Will I see you later?" I don't know why, but I'm feeling clingy and nervous. I mean, I know he's not going to dump me because we had sex; I'm not that insecure and immature, but I don't want anything to be weird either…especially with the argument we had before the sex. We really need to talk about it…but I don't feel like busting our bubble right now.

_Denial ain't just a river in Egypt_.

"Of course," he answers with a nod. "I'll see you in two hours with a steaming cup of coffee."

"Really?" He nods. "You're too sweet." I swear my smile is so big; it could split my face in half. I wrap my arms around him and kiss him soundly. "I love you," I murmur against his lips. I feel him smile as he kisses me back.

"I love you too."

-o-

"Bells."

I look up to see Jessica's smiling face in the doorway of my classroom. "Jess!" I wave her in. "I'll be ready to go in a minute." I walk around the room, placing the hand-made paper turkeys on each child's desk to dry properly. Once I'm done, I run to the closet and grab my coat and purse. "Okay, let's go. I really need some liquid gold today." She rolls her eyes at my name for coffee.

The drive to the coffee shop is silent but not uncomfortable. Jess and I never feel like we need to chatter about bullshit whenever we're together and I'm incredibly thankful for that. Once we're seated in the best chairs available – two huge comfy armchairs – she delves right in. "I'm sorry for being such a sneaky bitch lately."

I cough on the sip of coffee I'd just taken and place my mug down on the small table in between us. "And why, pray tell, have you been a sneaky bitch?"

"I've been kind of worried about telling you something…so I avoided you." She frowns and shakes her head. "That was shitty and I'm sorry. Do you forgive me?"

I roll my eyes at her. "Of course I forgive you. Now…spill it bitch. What have you been keeping from me?" I arch an eyebrow, giving her the mini version of the bitch brow. What? I don't want to be terribly mean to her but…I also don't want her to think she's completely off the hook; especially when I'm still not 100% sure what she did.

"I'vebeendatingMike," she rushes out quickly, making it impossible for me to understand her.

"What?" I ask, completely unsure of what she just said.

"Mike Newton. I've been seeing him."

"What?" I practically shriek.

"Bells," Jessica whisper-yells as she looks around the shop, "please don't make a scene."

"Don't make a scene?" I ask more quietly. "Jess! You're dating my student's dad."

"So? You're dating one of your student's dads."

I huff. "This is not about _me_. This is about _you_ and…" I swallow down the bile that rises at the mere thought of the asshole. "Mike Newton." I can't help but say his name like a disease.

"Don't make that face when you say his name," she says fiercely. My eyes widen slightly. I don't think I've ever seen her look so…_passionate_; crazy yes, but passionate? No. "He's a great guy and I…really like him. This is important to me. Please tell me you're okay with this. I promise it won't backfire on you in any way."

I know I have no right to care if she's dating Mike. Truthfully, it's none of my business. She's right. I'm dating Edward, so I'd be a huge hypocrite to tell her that she can't date him. I know it won't really backfire on me if anything goes wrong with the two of them and they break up. Truthfully, I need to be worried about that happening between Edward and I. Not my friend and my student's father.

"Bells," Jessica's voice brings me out of my thoughts.

"I'm not okay with it." I answer her truthfully and wince slightly when I see her eyes narrow. I hate fighting with Jessica, but I feel like I need to this time. "Wait," I hold up a hand in surrender. "It's not because you're dating a student's dad. I don't care about that. I'd be a huge hypocrite if I said anything about that considering who _my_ boyfriend is." She gives me a duh look and I barely resist rolling my eyes at her. "I don't think you should date him because Mike is a fucking creep." There, I just said it, got it right out there.

She scoffs and takes a sip of her coffee. "What are you talking about? He is not a creep. He's a perfect gentleman and really sweet. His ex-wife was a bitch who up and left him with a newborn baby. He's a great guy."

"I'm sure he's a great dad. In fact, I _know _he is. His son is a perfectly happy and well-adjusted little boy who loves his daddy." She smiles and I smile back because it's the truth. I have no problem giving him credit where it's due. "But…" I take a sip of my coffee to stall. "He's still a creep." She tries to speak but I hold up a hand. "Just hear me out, okay?" She nods.

I tell her about the field trip and the birthday party incidents as examples, expecting her to finally agree with me. Instead, she giggles uncontrollably. "Wait…so you…thought…he…_wanted _you?" she gasps out in between her giggle fits. "Oh my God! That's hilarious."

"It's not that funny," I say defensively, feeling kind of hurt that she finds it completely impossible that he _could_ want me. I mean, I'm not conceited enough to think that every man in the world should stalk me because I'm so fucking hot; but I also know that I'm relatively attractive. Come on, look at Edward! If he thinks I'm sexy then I must be. That guy could get a Victoria's Secret model for Christ's sake.

"Oh shut up. You're gorgeous and you know it. That's not why I'm laughing," Jessica practically reads my mind with a roll of her eyes and a dismissive wave in my direction. "It's just…he's been eyeing you and trying to get you alone so he could tell you about us." I consider her words but something still doesn't make sense.

"Then why does he always look pissed whenever I'm with Edward? He acted really weird about the whole thing." I give her detailed explanation of the encounters we've had with him and she sighs.

"He basically thought you were being a hypocrite. I told him we couldn't tell you because you'd be pissed I was dating him since his son is one of your students. _That's all_."

I guess that makes sense. If he isn't a huge creep then I literally don't care if she dates him. I just don't want my friend dating a super creep. "Okay," I say easily with a shrug.

She's eyes me suspiciously. "Seriously?" I nod, causing her to arch an eyebrow. "So just like that, you're fine with it?"

"Jess, I want you to be happy. You deserve to have a good guy and if that's what Mike is, then I want you to have him."

She launches herself at me and smothers me with hugs and kisses. "Thank you! He really is so amazing."

"Tell me about him. I'd like to know about Mike instead of Mr. Newton."

She giggles before launching into a thirty minute monologue about how great Michael Newton Jr. is. I grin and bear it, because I love her. When she veers toward talk of his dick, I stop her. "Jess, I have to get back to school. Recess is over and art will be in about fifteen minutes. I need to be back in my classroom before my kids get back."

She pouts but concedes, standing up and hugging me tightly. "I feel so much better now. Thank you so much Bells."

"Don't thank me, that's weird," I laugh. "Just tell Mike to stop his creepy stare sessions okay? Let him know we're cool. Edward's starting to get pissed." I figure there's no reason to tell her that my boyfriend wants to kick her boyfriend's ass.

"Consider it done."

-o-

"So he was creeping on you because he's dating your friend? That makes no sense."

I've tried explaining what's been up with Mike to Edward for the last ten minutes, but as you can see, he does not believe it. "Yes Edward," I say tiredly. "He doesn't want me. He just thought I was being a hypocritical bitch and wanted me to feel his wrath." I laugh but Edward doesn't. He glowers._ Jesus_. Men are so stupid sometimes.

"I'm still going to say something to him."

"Okay Edward."

"You don't care if I do or not?"

"Nope."

"Are you mad?"

"Nope."

"Okay…" he trails off while he stares at me. He's probably trying to figure out how full of shit I am.

Things have been this way all week. We've talked and hung out…but there's always this weird tension between us. The morning after our awesome sex marathon was cute and sweet, but now it's just…off. "Edward, we need to talk."

"About what?"

"Last Sunday."

He swallows visibly. "Uh, okay."

"So…"

"So…" he copies, not offering anything and pissing me off in the process.

"Edward," I sigh and run a hand down my face in agitation. "Why have you been acting weird all week?"

He opens his mouth and closes it. "How have I been weird?"

"I don't know," I admit. "Something just feels off. Sunday night was amazing…and so was Monday morning." I blush because I can't fucking help it. "But…the rest of this week has been…weird."

"I'm sorry," he mutters as he plops down on the couch beside me. "You've been acting weird too though," he says with an arched eyebrow. "It's not just me."

"I know and I admit that. Let's not play a blame game please."

"I'm not. I'm just making sure you know," he smirks at me as he moves closer. "So let's talk like adults." His eyes widen comically. "Whoa, did I just say that? We're actually going to be responsible adults?"

I giggle and shove him away with my hands. He grabs them and effectively uses them to pull me on top of his lap. I straddle him, playing with his hair as he watches me closely. After a few minutes, he speaks. "I'm sorry for being weird. I've just felt off because of what happened at your dad's Sunday and then like you said…that night was incredible and so was Monday. I didn't wanna ruin it, but I guess not talking about it ruined the rest of the week so that was pretty dumb of us, huh?"

I nod. "Mhm, we're not the brightest crayons in the box, are we?" He barks out a laugh and nods along in agreement. "Will you tell me what my dad said to you?"

He takes a deep breath and nods once. "He basically said that you and Jacob were supposed to be together. It just pissed me off and it shouldn't have. I don't want you to think I'm some overprotective controlling dickhead, because I'm really not. I just…I don't know. This is all so new but I already love you so much; I guess I just felt threatened."

He looks embarrassed so I kiss him gently on the lips. "That's okay you know, to feel jealous. It's a normal and natural human reaction."

"Yeah," he mutters. "Doesn't make me feel better about acting like an ass though."

"I know and it's okay. I'm sure I'll be jealous at some point, that'll be my free pass. Deal?"

He laughs and kisses me. "Deal."

"For what it's worth, my dad does like you."

"Yeah?" he asks with a small smile.

"Yep. He wants us to come by with Masen in the next few weeks. I told him I'd talk to you about it, but that we might not be able to make it down for a few weeks, maybe around Thanksgiving." I watch his face closely, trying to decipher any freak out expressions at the mention of a major holiday. I smile when I see none, and his next words make me want to squeal.

"Okay," he smiles. "I think my parents wanted to invite us to Thanksgiving with them this year. Do you think he'd want to come to Seattle with us? I'd hate for him to spend it alone and I'd hate to spend it without you." I barely hold back the squeal and just nod, not trusting myself to _not _squeal if I open my mouth. "So are we okay now? No more weirdness?"

I nod and smile. "Let's just keep being the awesome adults we are and not keep anything from each other, okay?"

He agrees with a tight smile and a nod before his phone beeps. He reaches for it, frowning at the screen before quickly typing out a message and shoving it back in his pocket. The whole exchange makes me feel uneasy…but instead of doing what we just promised we'd do…we both ignore it.

Ignorance is bliss, until it isn't.

* * *

**A/N: Wow, okay. So this had a lot of stuff in it, yeah? Let me know what you're thinking! Please! A lot of you guys made me lol with your Jessica/Jacob guesses. :) Maybe we can get some EPOV and see what that was all about at the end there, yeah? Who do you think texted him and what made him frown? If you'd like that EPOV…you know what to do right? In case you don't, here's what you do: REVIEW! xo**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hello lovelies. Some of you liked Edward's POV. Some of you liked it and also threatened me with bodily harm for not really giving you any answers…I gave you clues though! So that counts for something right? No? Well guess what? We're finding out today! Can I get a round of applause or what? No? Okay. I haven't had time to edit this, but I will fix any mistakes tonight.**

* * *

"You need to talk to him Bells."

"Why? I'm talking to you. You're a guy. You're supposed to know this shit and help me out. How many times have I dissected something a girl has done or said for you? Where's the reciprocation?"

Jake laughs and shakes his head. "Pass me that wrench." I look down to see which one he pointed at before handing it to him. He continues as he tightens…_something_…on his bike. "Listen, I wanna help you out, I do. I just…don't know. It could be lots of things." He shrugs and grabs another tool.

"Like what?" He avoids eye contact with me, finding the shiny metal of his motorcycle more interesting. "Jake…come on. Just tell me what_ you_ think."

"From what you've told me…" he hesitates and I make a motion with my hand for him to continue. "I don't know Bells. It seems like…maybe it's a woman?" My eyes widen so he quickly backtracks. "I mean, I'm not saying it is, but the fact that he's being sneaky and shit with his phone would suggest that. What else would it be that he wouldn't want you to know? Ya know?"

Over the past week, I've obsessed over what that text was. I mean…every waking moment that I've spent alone, I've thought about nothing but that text and the sneaky way he answered it, and the convenient way he had to disappear right after. I never even _considered _that it could've been some…_other woman_ texting him. Why didn't I think of that?

_Because he said you could trust him. He knows what you've been through with James. And we know he wouldn't do that to you_, my inner bitch argues. Well…she's not being a bitch right now, which I'm thankful for. And she's right. That's why I didn't think of that possibility. _Is _it a possibility?

I never thought James would do such a thing and…he'd been doing it for practically our entire relationship. Could Edward be seeing someone else? We haven't been together long at all…but we love each other. He loves me, right? I know I love him…no matter how crazy or soon it seems. I know deep within my gut that my feelings for him are real. Are his the same for me?

Fuck. I hate that I'm questioning all of this shit. This is Jake's fault. I glare at him, and as if he could feel the heat of my stare, he looks up. His eyes widen slightly before they narrow at me. "Don't give me that fucking look Bells! I didn't _want_ to talk about this shit but you just kept on with it. That's what _I_ think. I never said that it_ is_ what's going on. So chill the fuck out. If you really wanna know what's actually going on, stop being a little pussy and go talk to your boyfriend about it."

"Fuck off Jake," I mutter as I stand and grab my purse from his tool bench.

"Yeah, yeah," he mumbles without looking up from his bike.

I'm about to walk out of the tiny makeshift garage, but I can't leave it this way. So I call back, "Thanks J."

"Any time Bells. Call me if you need me okay?"

I turn around to see him smiling up at me. I give him a small smile back. "I will." Hopefully I won't _need_ to.

-o-

"You okay?" Edward asks me quietly. I nod, not wanting to speak and ruin the movie.

_I'm sure that's why you don't want to answer. It has nothing to do with you being a little bitch and being afraid, right?_

Okay. My inner bitch is right back to being a _bitch_.

I see Edward frown out of the corner of my eye. "Hey," he whispers against my ear. "Talk to me."

I turn my body slightly, leaning against him more so I can whisper back. "We'll talk after the movie. I don't want to ruin it for Masen."

Edward leans forward, looking down into the makeshift fort at our feet. Masen decided that he wanted to build a fort so he could watch the Lion King in a castle, like a king. The kid is too cute for words. "He's asleep," Edward says quietly as he sits back down on the couch. "Come here." He pulls me until I'm lying down, my head on a pillow and my thighs across his lap. "What's going on?"

"I think_ I_ should be asking_ you_ that," I snap back. _Shit_. I didn't mean to snap at him but…

I guess that's what all those shrinks mean when they say don't let shit fester, huh? Maybe I shouldn't have waited over a week to bring this up.

"What?" he asks defensively. "What did I do?"

"It's what you _didn't_ do, Edward. Remember what we promised? What we said we'd do? We'd always be honest with each other. You're hiding something. What was with that text last week?" His eyes widen and he opens and closes his mouth three times. I sit up, pulling my feet away from him. I pull my legs up, resting my chin on my knees as I try to hold back the emotion that wants to spill out.

He opens his mouth and finally speaks…pissing me off instantly with the words that come from his lips. "Well…you didn't mention it when it happened. So you did the same thing as me."

"Are you fucking serious?" I whisper-yell, somehow remembering through my rage filled haze that Masen is sleeping right below us. Knowing that I'm not going to be able to control myself much longer, I quietly get up, carefully stepping around Masen's fort. I head for the kitchen and hear Edward's footsteps behind me.

I whirl around, all fury and confusion. "I didn't call you out on the sneaky texts, but _you're_ the one who was being sneaky with the sneaky texts." I jab him in the chest with my index finger. "Don't you dare try and pin this shit on me. _You_ are at fault, not _me_. Is there someone else?" The fire is out of my voice by the time I ask that question. I sound weak and afraid. And I hate it.

"You're right," he says as he hangs his head. I'm right? So there's someone else? I gasp, trying to get air into my shrunken lungs. When I gasp, Edward's head snaps up. "No!" he shouts loudly. "No, no, no…" he grabs my face in his hands, forcing me to look up at him. It hurts to look at his beautiful face now, knowing he's not only mine…knowing he won't ever be mine again.

I _do_ love Edward, but I_ refuse_ to go through this shit again. I never loved James…and that hurt like a motherfucker. Knowing that Edward is seeing someone else…this just might kill me.

"Bella," Edward sighs my name before pressing his lips to mine gently. I grab his t-shirt, but instead of pulling him to me like I normally would, I push him away. Hurt crosses his features, and for a fraction of a second I feel an urge to pull him to me and kiss the frown off his face. "There's no one else. I'm not seeing anyone else. Do you really think I would do that to you?" I look at his face, his features showing his hurt and his anger…but also showing truth.

"I…I don't know." I bite my lip to keep the tears at bay. "I just…you were being so sneaky. And it wasn't just that one time. You've been pulling out your phone and texting quickly and then shoving it back in your pocket…and a few days ago you ran out of the room when it rang. You're keeping something from me. I guess…my automatic response is to think the worst."

"I'll tell you what's going on, okay?" he says anxiously. "You're right. I've been a dick because I kept this from you, but Bella…you need to believe me when I say I'm not cheating on you. Okay?"

"Okay," I say with a nod. "I'll believe you…after you tell me what the fuck has been going on."

"That's fair. I'm going to put Mase to bed and then we'll talk. Okay?"

I nod and watch as he walks away from me. My heart clenches painfully when I imagine that he's walking away from me – for good. Shit. How did this happen? How did I fall in love with this man so deeply, so quickly? I told myself that I wouldn't get invested and here I am head over heels in love with the jerk.

"Bella?" Edward's voice startles me and rips me out of my thoughts. "Sorry. I put Masen in bed. Come on." He holds out his hand for me to take and I do. We both smile slightly while looking at our joined fingers. He begins leading me out of the kitchen, and instead of bringing me back to the living room, he walks toward the stairs. I hesitate slightly, causing him to look back at me. "What's wrong?"

"Where are we going?"

"To my room." He looks confused. "Is that okay?"

I swallow and nod. Once we're in his room, I feel light-headed. It takes me a few seconds to realize I'm not breathing properly. This isn't the first time I've ever been in his room, but it certainly seems to be the most anxious I've felt while being in here. Normally I feel safe…content…satisfied…within this room. I hate that I feel differently now.

Edward must notice my dilemma, because he steps up behind me and wraps his arms around me tightly. "It was Tanya," he whispers quietly. So quietly that I'm not sure I heard him correctly. I spin around in his arms, looking up into his tense face. "Tanya," he says a little louder, his voice firm. "She's been texting me and calling me, trying to get me to change my mind about the divorce."

I take a step back, my hand covering my mouth. "And?"

"And what?" he asks. "I've been telling her to fuck off. She wants to call this all off because the hearing is coming up at the end of this week. She's been trying to get me to change my mind because she knows that she's not getting a fucking dime from me."

"What has she been saying?"

He rolls his eyes and steps toward me. "Can you stop pulling away from me? I'm sorry about keeping this from you, but it wasn't because I want to get back with her. I would never get back with her. I don't want anyone but you." He grabs me by my hips and lifts me up. I willingly wrap my legs around his waist, letting him hold me and comfort me.

He walks us to his king sized bed, sitting down on the edge and resting me on his lap. "I want you to come with me to the divorce hearing. I was hoping for this to be done quickly and easily and I was only expecting to have to go in and sign papers but…this is Tanya. I should've known she'd do this shit. Will you come with me?"

"Yes," I answer immediately. I want to go with him to be there for him, but I also need to go to show her that Edward is mine. Obviously that slap did nothing for her brain. She had her chance and blew it.

-o-

I open my eyes, feeling a little more than disoriented. I hear a whimper, which is what woke me in the first place. I look around, finally getting my bearings and realizing I'm in Edward's bed. He kicks his legs frantically.

"No! No! Paul! No!"

"Edward, wake up!" I shake him almost violently, trying to wake him up. I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to wake up someone who's having a nightmare, but shit, waking him up has to be better than letting him go through whatever _this_ is. "Edward, babe, you need to wake up!" He bolts upright, scaring the shit out of me and causing me to shriek. "Are you okay?" I rub his bare back soothingly, waiting patiently for him to speak, but he doesn't. "Edward?"

Suddenly he moves, turning to face me and covering my naked body with his in record time. I'm feeling very grateful that we fell asleep before we could put any clothes on the night before at the moment. "Edward," I say his name yet again, this time it only comes out as a gasp as the head of his cock grazes my clit lightly.

"So wet for me," he says in a low voice. "I need you."

"Take whatever you need."

He pushes into me then, completely filling me with one thrust. "Ah! Fuck!" I cry out, wrapping my legs around his waist and pushing the heels of my feet into his ass, urging him silently to fuck me harder. He pounds into me, making me gasp and beg for more.

"You like that?" he grits out. "You do, don't you?" All I can do is nod. "You like when I fuck you hard and rough, taking everything you have to give."

"YES!"

He slides his hands under my ass, gripping it and lifting it up, changing the angle and making me scream. "More Edward! More!" He doesn't disappoint me. He picks up the pace, fucking me faster. His thrusts are shallow and erratic as he rubs my clit with his thumb. "Unghh, God! I'm going to…"

I don't get to finish that sentence; the force of my orgasm leaving me breathless and unable to form words. He places his hands on my boobs squeezing them roughly as he continues to ram his cock deep inside me. The vein in his neck looks close to exploding and his jaw is tense, all of which tells me that he's close to following me.

I reach in between us, using my index and middle finger to form a v around his cock as he enters me over and over again. "God, I can feel us," I pant. "You feel so fucking good inside me."

"Shit," he curses under his breath.

I use my free hand to begin rubbing my clit as well and I'm quickly gasping, approaching my second orgasm quickly. "Fuck!" he screams suddenly. "I can feel you tightening around me baby; so tight, so fucking wet."

He gives me three quicker, harder thrusts and I'm spiraling down once again. My eyes cross as I try and catch my breath. He gasps as my walls constrict around him tightly and then I feel him filling me with long hot spurts. He falls on top of me, letting his weight rest against me, making me feel safe and protected.

I kiss the sweaty skin at his shoulder, trailing more kisses up his neck, along his jaw, until finally settling against his lips. "I love you," I murmur against his skin. "Do you want to talk about it?" I run my fingertips through his sweaty hair, causing him to hum.

"I'm afraid," he whispers against my hair. "I'm worried about today. I want this all to be over, but I'm afraid she's just going to drag it fucking out. I want her out of my life; out of Masen's life especially. I want a fresh start with him…and with you." I smile. "I feel like I have everything right at my fingertips…and she's going to rip it all away from me." I was referring to his screams. I want him to talk to me about it. I want to know what disrupts his sleep and causes him to wake up screaming; but I also know that's going to take time.

So instead, I focus on what he _does_ feel comfortable telling me.

"She's not going to take anything from you," I say fiercely, causing him to pull back and look at me. "I promise. I won't let her."

He laughs a little, and even though I'm glad he's feeling a little better, I want him to know I'm serious. "Hey! I'm serious. She's not going to get anything she wants. She deserves nothing less than being absolutely miserable and I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that happens."

"I fucking love you," he says with an adorable grin. "I love you so goddamn much."

He kisses me sweetly, pouring every ounce of love into it as evidence for his words. I give it right back, showing him how much he means to me with my lips against his.

I wasn't just saying any of that to make him feel better.

_If Tanya wants a fucking fight, bitch is going to get one._

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**A/N: Uh oh! Bella is ready to throw down with Tanya…again! If you wanna see that sooner than next week…you know what to do…right? Review! ;)**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I don't know about you girls (I don't think guys read this), but I think I'm pretty awesome for giving you a whole new chapter tonight. Yeah? No? That's two new chapters in two days! Plus today is a very special day. As a Patriots fan, I'm celebrating Tom Brady Day (12/12/12) lol. Since I was awesome and posted a whole new chapter instead of just a snippet for next week, how about you all be awesome and give me a review? They make me smile! And earn you a surprise in your inbox. ;)**

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"Can I have cereal Bella?" Masen asks me sweetly. I nod and he grins up at me. "Yes!" he shrieks in delight. "I want Lucky Charms. Can I have those kinds?"

"Sure buddy."

"You're the best Bella!" he hugs my thighs tightly, burying his face into my stomach. "I want a ninja turtle bowl too!"

"Okay."

"Woohoo!"

"Keep spoiling him like that and you're going to have a whole lot of trouble on your hands in a few months."

I turn around and smile at Rose. "Pour me a cup of that?" I ask with a nod to the coffee pot in her hand.

"Oh," she says with a frown. "This?" She holds up her cup. "But…it's not from a Keurig. Wouldn't that be sacrilegious of you to drink it?"

I scowl at her and secretly flip her the bird.

The first morning after I slept over, Rosalie and I had a little…disagreement about the quality of coffee in this house. Rose tends to think that Keurig's are the devil and well…I think they're pretty much as close to Heaven as you can get.

"Shut the fu-front door," she smirks as I recover quickly. "Just give me a cup."

She laughs as she pours it out, handing it to me easily. "So how's Mr. Grump this morning?"

I shrug. "He's okay I guess. He woke up last night."

"I know, I heard." My face flushes as she wiggles her eyebrows. "Don't be embarrassed Bella. Once Emmett is home you're going to hear some shit that will make you wish you were deaf." She knocks on wood and crosses her fingers.

I laugh hard, doubling over in a huge fit of giggles when Masen yells at Rosalie for cursing and tells her to put a dollar in the swear jar. I'm still laughing as she walks away mumbling about not being able to say whatever the fuck she wants in her own damn house.

"Make that three dollars!" I call after her retreating form.

She gives me the finger before turning the corner.

Still fighting off the giggles, I turn around and fix Masen's bowl of cereal. "Here you go buddy," I say as I turn around…and almost drop the bowl. Edward grins down at me, knowing he just scared the ever-loving-shit out of me. "Jerk," I mutter as I try to step around him and hand Masen his bow.

"Hey," he says with a pout, grabbing my hands and pulling me back toward the counter. "No kiss? I brushed!" He smiles down at me, showing off his freshly cleaned teeth, and knowing that he has me right where he wants me, puckers his lips. I give him a quick kiss, earning a loud "Yuck!" from Masen which causes us both to laugh.

"Feeling any better?" I ask quietly so Masen doesn't hear. He has no idea what's going on today, which is what Edward wants. I agree with him wholeheartedly, knowing it would only cause Masen unnecessary pain.

I hate having to fib to him about why I won't be in school today, but I'd rather tell a little white lie and let him believe that I have to go and see the dentist than to tell the truth and have him know what his "mother" is up to.

"A little," Edward answers with a shrug. "Are you sure you want to come?"

"I have no doubt in my mind babe," I answer immediately, causing him to grin my favorite crooked grin down at me.

Looking from his beautiful face to Masen's adorable one, I know deep in my soul that I'd do anything to keep these two happy.

-o-

My palms are sweating and I'm pretty sure that I'm going to throw the fuck up.

I take a deep breath, trying to quell my nerves as the numbers on the elevator's digital screen rise. When we arrive on the fifth floor, I excuse myself – telling Edward quietly that I need to go to the bathroom. I walk quickly away, leaving him alone to talk strategy with his lawyer.

Once alone in the bathroom, I let my nerves get the best of me and vomit straight down into one of the toilets. I hear someone enter and groan in embarrassment.

I don't know why I'm so nervous. I'm not afraid of Tanya; that much I _do_ know. Every time I think of her I have to battle back my rage, knowing that I need to keep it in check – otherwise I'm pretty sure I'll fuck her shit up right in the middle of the court room, and that wouldn't help matters.

My anxiety spikes when I think of the word "help." I think that's what I'm so nervous about – my presence and whether or not it's actually _going to help_ Edward. I've actually been worried since the moment that I woke up that maybe me being here might hurt Edward more than help him. I mean, is it a good thing that he's dating me while he's separated? Or while I'm his son's teacher? I know it's not…_illegal _or anything, but I don't want it to make him…look bad or something.

_And Tanya fucking someone else while her husband was out protecting our country makes her look great?_

Okay. My inner bitch has a point there. But still. I'm allowed to freak the fuck out.

"I'm in the bathroom," a familiar voice suddenly says. "I haven't seen him yet." There's a pause. "No, that bitch better not be with him if she knows what's good for her." She laughs and snorts. It's not a pretty sound. "I know. I'm not worried. She's a mousy little thing that won't be able to hold his attention for long. All I have to do today is get this shit postponed. Plus if she is here, let's just say I have a little surprise for her."

I'm not stupid; I know she's talking about me. I'm not worried about whatever "surprise" she has for me, I'm more concerned with the fact that Edward was right – she's going to try and drag this shit out.

I stay quiet, not wanting to alert her of my presence. Obviously, she knows someone is in here, but she doesn't know that someone is _me_, and I don't want her to. I want to hear whatever else this bitch has to say.

"Laurent is in town as well. He knows to stay out of sight though." She waits while whoever she's talking to speaks. "Yeah, I'll keep you posted on that." She laughs again. "I know, my life is basically your entertainment isn't it?" She laughs again at whatever this person says. "Whatever, bitch. I'll call you when I'm out of this shithole and we'll meet for drinks. Murphy's sounds great. I'll see you…sixish? Okay, ta-ta!"

I take a peek through the small crevice of the bathroom door and roll my eyes when I see her adjusting her clearly fake tits. After plastering on a pound of lipstick and winking at herself in the mirror, she finally leaves. I heave a sigh of relief and exit the stall. After washing my hands and checking my own makeup - which is nothing more than a little eyeliner and lip gloss - I make my way out into the hall and spot Edward leaning against the railing waiting for me.

I flush when he gives me his sexy smirk and wink combo. I shake my head, silently telling him to knock it the fuck off. I don't want to be a blushing mess when we step into the courtroom. That would suck.

"Hey beautiful," he says quietly once I'm in front of him. He wraps his arms around me, letting his hands clasped hands rest against my lower back. I lean into him, resting my cheek on his chest as he continues to lean casually against the railing. "You okay?" he asks me sweetly.

I look up at him and frown. "Me? I should be asking you that question." He chuckles and smiles. "Well?" I ask, waiting for his answer.

"I'm fine Bella, I promise."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," he answers with a nod. "I'm a little nervous, but also excited."

"Excited?" I ask, confused.

"Yeah," he shrugs. "I just…this could all be over today." He smiles down at me, making my heart race in my chest. I love when he smiles at me that way, like I'm the most amazing thing he's ever seen.

"I hope it is." I hide my face back in his chest, not wanting him to see the worry that I'm sure is etched onto my face. After hearing Tanya's conversation in the bathroom, I know she won't make this easy on him. It pisses me off but also makes me sad, because I know how much he wants this to be over with. What pisses me off the most though, is that she's doing all of this for the wrong reasons.

It would be one thing if she wanted to stop the divorce proceedings because she loved Edward and wanted another chance; but no, that's not why she's doing this. She's doing this for money. And that's why she deserves to be smacked around.

Hell, if she was doing it because she _did _want Edward back the bitch would still get a punch, but at least she wouldn't be a gold digging whore on top of it all.

I'm about to tell Edward what I overheard and ask if he saw her exit the bathroom before me, but we're interrupted.

I stiffen when a throat is cleared behind me. "Sorry to interrupt Edward," a deep voice says. "I just wanted to let you know that we're going to be heading in soon. Also, I've been notified that Tanya has new representation."

I turn around in Edward's arms, stepping somewhat to the side. I'm sure being spooned isn't the most appropriate way to meet your boyfriend's attorney; especially at his divorce hearing. "Hello," I say politely with my hand extended. "Sorry, I'm Isabella Swan."

"Hello Isabella," he says with a small smile as he shakes my hand. "I'm Alec Connor, Edward's attorney, as I'm sure someone as beautiful and smart as you has already ascertained." He winks and I feel Edward stiffen, his grip on my hip tightening to an almost painful pressure.

"Pleasure to meet you Alec," I give him a tight small and look down. He clears his throat and lets go of my hand.

"Can she do that?" Edward asks in an eerily calm and cold voice. I'm not sure if he's pissed about Tanya or Alec's blatant flirting; probably both.

"Do what?"

"Can she just show up with a new lawyer? Will that hinder any of this process?"

I look up to see Alec frown. "It could…"

"Fuck," Edward mutters.

"But…" Alec continues, "It wouldn't be for long. I promise Edward, one way or another, this will be over before the holidays."

Edward gives him a curt nod and Alec excuses himself awkwardly, letting us know he'll collect us when it's our turn.

-o-

Apparently to the Seattle court system "soon" is hours. We've been sitting here, on the hard uncomfortable benches outside the courtrooms for a little over two hours waiting for Edward's case to be called in.

Thankfully we haven't seen Tanya at all, so we've spent the time holding hands and talking quietly, discussing Thanksgiving and Christmas. My father, Alice, Jasper, Jake and whatever plus one he brings, along with Jessica and _Mike_ (ugh) will also be joining us at the Cullen home. To say that Esme and Carlisle are the sweetest and most generous people ever would be a complete understatement. I can't wait to spend the holiday with everyone…but first we have to get through this shit storm.

"Ahem." A pair of red heels fills my vision as an annoying voice fills my ears.

"Tanya," I say without looking up. I say her voice like it's some kind of incurable disease; which in my mind, she is.

"Hello Becca." I swallow back the retort I want to shout at her and instead look up and give her a fake smile.

"It's Bella, actually. I'd say it's nice to see you, but unlike you I don't like to lie. I also don't like to fuck other men behind my soldier's back but…you know…to each their own." I give her a condescending wink and an even brighter smile.

Edward snickers into my neck before placing a gentle kiss there.

"You little fucking-" She's cut off by a throat clearing.

We all look to her left and see Alec standing there. "It's our time to go in."

"Hold on, I'm waiting for my lawyer to arrive," Tanya says dismissively before flipping her long blonde hair. I'm pretty sure half of it isn't even hers. "Ah, here he is now." She points down toward the end of the hallway and we all look expectantly in the direction.

My gasp is loud and everyone's eyes snap to mine; everyone's but Tanya's. I watch as a sadistic smile takes over her face as she looks from me to her lawyer.

He approaches our group slowly, or maybe I'm just imagining it in slow motion, willing it to not be real. Maybe I'm having a nightmare and Edward will be the one to rescue me from its depths the same way I rescued him from his earlier? But it's not a dream, because the man speaks; my own real life monster. "Hello Mr. Cullen, my name is James Monroe, I'm Tanya's attorney. It's very nice to meet you."

Edward's green eyes widen as he stares at the cold blue ones in front of him. I never told him James' last name, but Edward is smart. When his eyes meet mine and he sees the terror within them, his jaw clenches and I know he knows.

_James_ is _here_.

He's Tanya's _lawyer_.

And I'm sure that's not all there is to it as I watch the pair give each other calculating looks full of affection.

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**A/N: DUN DUN DUN! I'm very curious to know your reactions. Were you expecting it at all? What do you think this means? How freakin' excited are you to get more of this? Please review and let me know! You'll receive a teaser from chapter 15. Whether you've reviewed every chapter or never have before, I'd truly love to hear what you're thinking right now. So scroll a little lower and click that button! xox**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Wanna hear something really sad? I had half of this chapter written until my computer decided to do an automatic update without allowing me to save anything. I almost cried :( lol. In my mind the first half of this isn't as good as the first time I had written it. Ugh! Hope you enjoy anyways. :)**

**Also! Please make sure you're signed in when you review. I know some people don't have actual ff accounts, and that's okay! I still **_**love**_** your reviews. But**_** please**_** know that I can't send a teaser to you if you're a "Guest". **

**I haven't had a chance to edit this chapter – I'm going crazy with Christmas prep for four boys! So , please excuse any mistakes and I promise to fix them later tonight when the monsters are in bed. **

**xoxo**

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My mind is racing a mile a minute as I glance between James' smug face and Edward's thunderous expression. James practically yanks his hand from Edward's and turns to face me. "Isabella…it's been far too long. How are you?" He extends his hand, expecting me to cower away and not shake it.

I step forward with my chin held high and grasp his hand tightly – maybe a little too tightly, but I don't really give a fuck. He lifts my hand to his lips and kisses the back of it, causing a shiver to run up my spine. It's not the same shiver that Edward's kisses bring me. This one isn't warm and promising. It's cold and makes me want to do nothing more than pull my hand away and furiously wash it.

I hear Edward growl behind me, so I use my free hand to reach back and grasp his. I give it a firm squeeze, silently letting him know that I'm okay. James glances down to see my hand in Edward's and smirks. "Isabella, may I speak with you for a moment?"

"Of course," I answer immediately with a nod, not letting him think that I'm afraid of him – because I'm not.

"Bella-" I cut off Edward's worried tone and stare with a simple look, causing Alec to snicker before quickly covering it as a cough. Edward glares at his attorney before he asks, "Is there time for this?"

Alec looks like he wants to lie and say "no" just to please Edward, but instead squares his shoulders and nods. "Yes, only about five minutes though."

"Shall we?" James asks as he extends an arm out, pointing to a few feet away from the group. I walk past him, trying not to vomit as the scent of his cheap cologne penetrates my nostrils. How had I ever found _that_ smell attractive?

"So Isabella…" he trails off as he crosses his arms over his chest and rocks back and forth on his heels. "How have you been?"

"I've been fantastic. Hey James," I don't plan on playing his games. I plan on going straight for the jugular. "What the fuck are you doing here with Tanya?"

"I'm her lawyer," he answers with a nonchalant shrug.

"Really? You practice law here in Washington? Since when?"

He avoids my gaze and shrugs. "I don't know, about sixth months or so. However Tanya is my first client. She was referred to me."

"Mhmm," I hum, not believing him for one second. "So…the man that I'm dating…his ex-wife just happens to show up with a new lawyer that just so happens to be my ex-fiancé. That's…interesting."

He looks over to Tanya and then back at me, smirk firmly back in place. "What a small world."

"And you and Tanya are just…lawyer and client? Nothing more than that?"

He scoffs. "Of course not."

I nod. "I see. Well that's good then. I was afraid she was cheating on you too. You know what they say, "once a cheater, always a cheater" and all that. Although…I guess that could apply to both of you, right? Damn, it's a shame you two aren't together, you're made for each other."

His jaw tenses as he tries to hold back his anger. "I think you should mind your fucking business Isabella."

"You should too James. I think you should go home to Arizona."

I walk away from him, sashaying slightly as I do. What? I'm wearing a killer black pencil skirt and I have an amazing ass (according to Edward). I see nothing wrong with giving the_ wrong_ man a little show - to let him know what he's missing - as you walk away to the_ right_ man.

Edward smirks, knowing what I'm up to. _Ugh_, that's why I love him. Any other guy would've been jealous, but Edward just knows me. He knows I didn't do it to act like a whore, like some people with extensions and fake tits that I won't name. He knows that I did it because I want James to see what he's missing and to know he can never have me again. I drive the latter home by kissing the shit out of Edward right there in the middle of a courthouse hallway, in front of his soon-to-be-ex-wife, my ex-fiancé, and his lawyer.

"Excuse me," Tanya says abruptly as she tries to push me away from Edward.

Edward hugs me tightly to him, speaking quietly over my shoulder. "Do not fucking touch her again. Got me?" Tanya says nothing, instead flinging herself into James' arms who looks slightly irritated and shocked by it. I'm sure he doesn't want their little secret out. He didn't have to say it for me to know – he's fucking her. James fucks anything with a pussy.

He pulls her away from the group and I watch in amusement as they quietly argue. "What's all that about?" Edward murmurs into my ear.

"Well…I overheard Tanya in the bathroom. I don't know who she was talking to…but it was a very interesting conversation."

"How interesting?" Alec interrupts, looking very eager. I'm about to tell him all about the conversation I heard Tanya having when we're interrupted by their return.

-o-

"Your Honor, my client, Mr. Cullen would appreciate the opportunity to settle this matter in mediation between the parties involved. He does not wish to drag this out into a long and tiring trial that would cause unneeded harm to all involved."

My heart beats as the judge looks down his glasses toward Edward. "Mr. Cullen, would you rather this be settled in mediation?"

Edward stands and nods his head. "Yes your Honor, I would."

"Mrs. Cullen," I swallow down the bile that rises in my throat when the judge addresses her with that last name. _Mine_! Whoa. What the fuck? "Would you also like to settle this matter with mediation?"

She stands and gives him a fake ass smile. I smile genuinely when the judge does nothing back. "Your Honor, if we were to enter mediation and not find a solution, what happens then?"

Edward turns his head slightly, and even though I can't see the expression on his face, I know he's giving her one hell of a glare. If looks could kill, Tanya wouldn't be among the living for long. I try to telepathically get Edward to turn around. I know, stupid, but he does actually glance at me quickly when he feels the heat of my stare.

"Relax, it'll be okay," I mouth to him before giving him a small smile. His shoulders lose a little bit of their tension and he gives a slight nod in my direction before turning back his attention to the judge.

"In that case then, we would need to go to trial."

I swallow hard, hoping to all hell that won't be necessary. But seeing the small smirk on Tanya's lips and the glint in her eye – I'm not guessing there is no hope.

"Is there anything else?" the judge asks both parties.

"No your Honor," James says with a shake of his head.

"If that's all, hopefully we won't see you again." The judge smiles wryly while everyone gathers their things.

"Thank you, your Honor," Edward says respectfully before walking toward me. He takes my hand and leads me out of the court room. "What now?" he asks Alec as he exits behind us.

"Well, we'll break for lunch now. Then we'll come back at one and meet in the mediation room, right through there." He points to a wooden door a few feet away. "I would like to join you two, if you don't mind, to go over exactly what Isabella heard in the restroom. It might be really helpful once we're in there."

-o-

"So what exactly did you hear Isabella?" Alec asks me as we sit down at a corner table in the little pizzeria we found a few blocks from the courthouse.

"Relax Alec," Edward says with narrowed eyes. "Let's get something to eat first. I'm starving." Alec nods, probably not wanting to argue with his client. Or maybe he knows what I know – Edward is a grumpy fucker when he's hungry. "C'mon Bella," Edward says with an outstretched hand. I take it as I give Alec an apologetic smile and a shrug. "Want something Alec?" Edward asks as we're about to walk away. I smile at him for remembering his manners. He winks at me before listening to Alec's order.

When we're alone, away from Alec and waiting in line, Edward kisses my temple. "You okay?" he asks me quietly. I nod. "Are you sure?" his voice is tinged with anxiety and when I look up at him I see that anxiety all over his face as well.

"I'm fine, Edward. She doesn't bother me."

"I wasn't referring to Tanya."

I know he wasn't but I don't want to talk about James right now. "I know," I say quietly. He squeezes my hand. "Can we get through all of this first and talk about that later?"

He gives me a small smile. "Sure baby."

Thankfully we're next, and there's no more talk of my loser ex-fiancé as we place our pizza orders and wait for them to be fulfilled.

As soon as I take my last bite of pizza, Alec descends. "Do you have any idea who she was talking to?" I see Edward's jaw clench, showing that he's clearly annoyed with Alec. I give him a small smile and shake my head. He's only trying to strengthen Edward's case and I'm all about helping in that department.

"No," I answer Alec. "I'm not sure who it was. But…as a woman, I'd say it was a girlfriend. The conversation had a gossipy flavor to it."

"Hmm," Alec hums as he rubs his chin. "What did they speak about?"

"Well…" I frown as I gather my thoughts. "I know James is her lawyer purely because he's my ex-fiancé. I don't care what he says about it 'being a small world' or any of that bullshit. I don't know how they connected, but it was planned." Alec's eyes widen and I realize there's no way he could've known that. "Yeah," I nod at his disbelieving expression. "But I'd rather not speak about that. Plus I don't see how it helps our case any." Edward squeezes my hand in reassurance and I squeeze back. "She mentioned that Laurent is in town." Edward and I are sitting closely; so closely that our sides are touching, so I feel him tense when I mention his name.

"He's here?" he asks in a too-calm voice.

"Yes," I say quietly. "She also mentioned to whoever she was talking to that she'd meet them at Murphy's pub."

"Excuse me please," Alec asks as he leaves the table with his phone already glued to his ear. "I have information for you…"

When he's out of ear shot, I turn my body toward Edward's. "Are you okay?" He shakes his head slowly. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. I just…I fucking hate him Bella."

"I know."

"He ruined my fucking family…he…"

He suddenly stops talking and stares wide-eyed at me. "Bella. Fuck!" His frantic tone worries me instantly. "I'm so sorry. You know that I…I'm not…I don't want _Tanya_ back. I'm just pissed at that bastard for what he did to my family…to _Masen_. Tanya is irrelevant and doesn't fucking matter." He grabs my face and pulls me toward him until our noses are touching. "You believe that right? I want no one but _you_ Bella. If I had it my way you'd be Masen's…" he stops talking and closes his eyes, taking a deep slow breath before opening them again. "Just…_please_ tell me you believe me."

"I believe you," I answer instantly. I do believe him. I know why he's pissed at Laurent. I know he doesn't want Tanya. I know he loves me. We're in this shit together. If I could, I would help him kick Laurent's ass all over Washington State.

He presses his lips to mine gently, but it doesn't stay that way. Before I know it our lips come together frantically. I moan when Edward's tongue enters my mouth, twisting deliciously with mine. His hands slide down my face, wrapping gently around my neck. His left hand moves around to the back of my neck before sliding up and tangling in my hair. He gives it a slight tug, making moan from deep within my throat.

"Ahem."

We break apart, quickly looking up to see the object of our interruption. Alec looks as embarrassed as I feel. He clears his throat and pulls on his tie. "S-Sorry for uh…yeah. Well…we need to get going. Our mediation session starts in ten minutes."

-o-

"Hello," a small blonde woman says with a smile as we all file into the mediation room. "My name is Jane and I'll be your mediator."

I shake her hand politely before taking my seat next to Edward.

"I'm sorry," Tanya's annoying voice breaks the silence once everyone's seated. "Can you please explain to me how it's right that my husband's…mistress gets to sit in on our divorce mediation?"

Alec stands and slams his hand down on the wood so hard I quickly scan it for cracks. "Ms. Swan was not involved with Mr. Cullen while you were married. That was_ your_ problem; being involved with someone while married. Isn't that right, Tanya?" Damn. My mouth pops open in shock.

"Hold on, hold on." Jane stands and holds her hands up in peace. "This is not the place for such things. We are here to peacefully discuss certain matters of this divorce so that both sides are happy in the end."

"I'm sorry," Alec mutters as he sits back down. "To give a professional answer, Ms. Swan's presence is needed. She has things that must be said in this room, on record, should this go to trial."

"Very well," Jane says with a nod. She shoots a warning look to both Alec and Tanya before clearing her throat. "We will first discuss custody."

"I told Edward that he can have Masen," Tanya says coldly. "I feel like he has been brainwashed against me." She runs a finger under her eye to collect her fake tears. "He doesn't want to be anywhere near me, he hates me, and I feel like it would only damage him if we were to be in contact."

I roll my eyes, barely holding back my snort. She's smart, I'll give her that. It's clever; trying to use the child's well-being in such a way so that she doesn't look like an evil bitch for not wanting anything to do with her only child.

"So you'll be giving Mr. Cullen full custody then?" Jane asks in a neutral tone. Damn she's good. What a poker face.

"Yes."

"Very well," she says with a nod and looks to Edward. "Do you dispute this?"

"No."

"Next…finances."

Tanya's eyes brighten. _Fucking gold digger_.

"I have down here that there was a prenuptial agreement."

"Yes," Alec and Edward answer in unison.

"No!" Tanya screams suddenly. "There was not. My signature was forged by his bitch of a mother!"

"Tanya!" James chastises her like a five-year-old child. "What my client is saying is that she believes this prenuptial agreement was drawn up after their marriage and is not a legal document."

Alec shakes his head. "The pre-nup was drawn up when Tanya became pregnant. I was involved in the process myself along with my father who happens to be the Cullen's personal family attorney. It is a legal and binding contract that Tanya signed herself. If Tanya would like to dispute it, we will go to trial."

I tense next to Edward and he squeezes my hand under the table. I give him a small smile, loving that he comforted me how I comforted him.

"We'll go to trial then," Tanya says with a smirk. "Right James?" James nods before shuffling through some papers.

"Okay then." Alec says with no fear or hesitation.

What the fuck?

I thought going to trial was the worst possible scenario? Once it's brought up, Alec just decides to agree? I have a slight urge to kick Alec in his balls, honestly.

"Edward," I whisper so quietly I'm surprised he even heard me. He turns his head slightly and leans closer.

"What baby?"

"What is he doing?"

"Don't worry. It's all part of plan B."

I frown, not understanding what the hell he's talking about. He doesn't explain further. Instead he leans away again, giving my hand a squeeze. It doesn't make me feel any better.

"Um…" Jane says awkwardly. "So, the general consensus is that we will not be able to reach a solution and you'd like to go to trial. Correct?"

"Correct," everyone but me says at once.

"We'll have to go back into the judge so that he can set a trial date then," she says with her eyebrows raised in everyone's direction, probably trying to sway them to change their minds. When she's met with nothing but stubborn looks of resolve from all involved, she nods and stands.

Everyone follows her out of the room as I lag behind. I grip Edward's fingers tightly, making him stop and glance back at me. He gives me a small smile and when I don't return it, his brow furrows. "What's wrong?" he asks me.

"Nothing," I say with a shrug of my shoulders. "I just…I thought you wanted this over with." The idea of coming back to this courthouse and facing Tanya and James again makes me feel sick; especially since I have no fucking idea how or why he ended up being her attorney. The mystery forms a knot of anxiety deep within my stomach.

"I know baby, I know. It's just…fuck I can't give in to her Bella. That money is mine. It's for my future, Masen's future…our future." He stops talking when he sees my mouth pop open and my eyes widen. "Shit. Listen. I'm not trying to freak you out, okay? I know its early Bella. It's way too early to have any kind of discussions like that and don't worry, we're not. I just need you to understand why. The thought of her shoving my son aside and taking my money makes my blood boil. That's for his future; for him to never want for anything, for him to go to college, for him to make something of himself. Do you understand?"

"I do. I'm with you. I'm sorry."

He leans in and kisses my forehead sweetly. "I love you too," he murmurs against my skin.

-o-

"So now you're going to trial?" Alice asks as she nurses her mug of coffee. I nod and her brow furrows. "I thought that was the last thing Edward wanted?"

I sigh and take a sip of my own coffee. "It was...it is. It's just…there's complications. He won't back down from her trying to pull her bullshit, and I don't blame him. I'd probably do the same thing in his position."

Suddenly the door to the coffee shop slams open, making everyone including Alice and I whip our heads toward the entrance. Jessica is a whirlwind of chaos as she makes her way through the small shop, muttering apologies as she passes perturbed coffee drinkers. "I said sorry asshole; go back to enjoying your little cappuccino. Be a man and drink a man's drink!"

I snort into my mug as the guy's eyes widen and he nods mutely, clearly scared of Jessica. I swear she and Rosalie would be the best friends ever, which reminds me that I still need to invite my friends to Thanksgiving.

"Hey bitches!" Jessica says as she sits down. She looks great, all…glowy. I still hate Mike Newton, but the affect he's had on my friend is great. As long as he treats her right…I guess I'll deal with him. "So explain your fucking text."

"Way to cut right to the chase, Jess," I reply with an eye roll.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Was I supposed to say something different? Maybe you should've texted me something different; maybe something more than, "James is back. Meet for coffee in ten." How about that Bella? I mean what the fuck."

"Well," I shoot back with annoyance in my tone, "I sent that text an hour ago. What took you so long?"

Her face heats with a blush as she looks down at the table in between us. "I was with Mike," she mutters. "I came as fast as I could."

Alice barks out a laugh randomly. "I bet you did."

Jess and I both join her in hysterical giggles and the tension that had grown around us instantly evaporates. "Okay," Jess says as her giggles die down. "What the hell is going on?"

I explain to her what happened at court earlier today, the same way I did with Alice. Jessica's reaction is a little different from Alice's calm and sympathetic one, which isn't exactly unexpected. "That fucking asshole! Who the hell does he think he is? And how the hell is he that bitches lawyer? I smell something fishy and that bitch's twat isn't in our vicinity."

Alice snorts but stops her laughter abruptly when Jessica narrows her eyes. "She's meeting someone at Murphy's tonight?" I nod, not wanting to say anything that will piss her off. What? Jess can be scary when she's pissed. "We're going."

"What?" I ask in disbelief. "We can't go! She knows what I look like."

She shrugs. "We'll wear disguises."

"Why do we have to wear disguises?" Alice asks. "She's never seen us before."

Jessica scoffs. "If James is her lawyer, she clearly looked through Bella's past. I wouldn't put it past that crazy bitch if she knew everyone in Bella's life through her stalkerish fucking ways. We'll all need disguises. What time is it?"

"Almost four-thirty," I answer after looking at my phone.

"Damn," she says as she stands. "Let's go. We don't have much time."

* * *

**A/N: Oh damn! What's going on in that pretty little head of yours? Hit that button below and let me know! It would be a great Christmas present to me if you all reviewed. You'll receive a present from me - a teaser of chapter 16 on Sunday. If there's some crazy number of reviews…I might just post the whole dang chapter! P.S: I hope everyone has a fantastic holiday! :) **


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Since you girls are so awesome, I figured I'd give you a whole new chapter before Christmas, even though I'm sick as well. I hope you enjoy your present. Have a very Merry Christmas, or I hope you had a Happy Hanukkah, or…anything you spend with your family this time of year! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season.**

* * *

"I'm starting to think that this isn't such a good idea."

"Why?" Jessica asks me as she adjusts her long black wig.

I look to Alice for help but she's too busy putting on _way too much_ makeup. I swear it looks like the girl got into a fight with a box of Crayola and lost. "Alice…honey…don't you think that's a little…_much_?"

She rolls her eyes and looks at me. It takes a lot for me to hold in my laughter when I take in the full frontal view of my friend. "It's supposed to be a _little much_ Bella," she rolls her eyes again. "If this bitch Tanya has really been stalking your entire life, including us, then she knows I always look immaculate and perfect. She would never in a million years think that _I_ would look like this," she points to her face, "or be wearing _this_," she waves her hands in front of the very slutty, very cheap, hookery-type costume she's wearing.

It's almost an exact replica of what Julia Roberts wore during the first scenes of Pretty Woman – sans knee high hooker boots and that stupid hat that nobody should_ ever_ wear, hooker or not.

I practically ignore her little rant and focus on actual important shit. "Don't you think we should at least tell Edward what we're doing? This is his life we're messing with here."

"It's your life too and this bitch needs to be _put down_," Jessica says as she pulls on her heels. "She needs to know that you're not afraid of her Bella. And we need to know who she's meeting and what they're going to discuss."

"But-"

"No buts Bella. This is happening."

"Alice," I practically whine out her name. "Please tell her that this is insane. What if we fuck up or do something that would hurt Edward's case? I…I wouldn't be able to live with myself if our involvement made him lose to her. He would never forgive me."

I'm close to tears at this point, and Alice, being able to read me so well, is at my side instantly. She hugs me tightly and kisses my cheek. "It'll be okay Bella. I know these outfits look ridiculous, but that's so if she glances our way, the snobby bitch will turn away with disgust and not bother us at all. Like I said, if she's been following you or us all together, she'll know we would never go out in public like this. Plus she doesn't know that you overheard her, right?"

I shake my head. "I don't think so."

"It'll be fine okay? I promise. Nothing is going to go wrong."

_Famous last words_, is my thought as I get myself ready.

-o-

**Where are you?**

Edward's text makes me jump out of my skin. We've been sitting in a small rented Zip Car for the last half hour waiting for Tanya to show up. I'm starting to think she isn't showing at all. My paranoia randomly takes hold of me every few minutes and I start sweating when I consider the fact that maybe she _did _know I was in that stall and this is all some sort of big setup that my dumbass walked right into.

"Shit!"

I jump again at the sound of Jessica's curse. "Jesus Christ, Jess. What is your problem?"

"I'm trying to download this spy app but my phone won't let me," she grumbles as she fiddles with it. "It's saying there are not enough gigabytes but I've deleted like, every other damn thing on my phone. I've deleted everything that had lots of megabytes and kegabytes."

Alice and I burst into a fit of giggles. Jessica narrows her eyes as she looks between the two of us. "What the fuck is so funny? I need this app for the mission!" She gestures around the car wildly.

That just makes us laugh harder. She slams her phone into the center console and turns around slightly in the driver's seat so she can glare at the two of us simultaneously. "What?"

"You said…kegabytes…" I gasp out in between giggles.

"So?"

"It's kilobytes," Alice says through her own laughter.

"What?" Jessica asks, looking suspicious. "Are you fucking serious?"

"Yeah," I nod and giggle again.

"That's so stupid. So there are gigabytes, megabytes, and then kilobytes? That makes no damn sense!"

I'm about to argue my point of how it _does_ make sense, but something catches my eye in my peripheral vision. I turn slightly to the left and look out the window, gasping when I see who it is. "Shit! It's Tanya, she's here." Their heads whip around to see what I see and they both mumble out their own versions of shock.

"Gotcha bitch," Jessica says with a grin on her face. She's taking pictures with her iPhone rapidly. I have no idea why, it's not like Tanya going to a bar is going to help our case any. She walks with purpose toward the bar and goes right in. "Let's go!"

"Wait!" I yell as I grab her wrist. "I don't think we should."

"Why?"

"I just…I don't know. I have a bad feeling about this."

"Why?"

"What are you, five?" I snap at her. "I _don't know_ why. I just have a_ feeling_."

She rolls her eyes dramatically. "What is your "feeling" telling you?" she asks, complete with air quotes.

"Right now it's telling me to slap you upside the head so you'll stop being a bitch."

Alice giggles from the backseat but stops when Jess and I both glare at her. She narrows her eyes at the two of us and crosses her arms over her chest. "Listen Bitch 1 and Bitch 2, we're going in there. I know you have a bad feeling Bella, but we need to know what the fuck that bitch is up to."

"Go Alice!" Jessica cheers. "Bella," she says seriously as she faces me. "We need to go in there, okay? We need to know who she is meeting. She was talking shit about you on the phone to this person right?" I nod. "You heard the conversation. You're nothing more than something in her way, a gossip topic. Is that all you think you are to Edward?"

"No," I practically growl.

Jessica grins. "That's what I thought. You and Edward are together. This bitch wants to end that. Defend yourself, defend Edward, and goddamn it Bella, defend your fucking relationship. _Fight for what you want_."

"Okay," I nod. "You're right. Let's fucking do this."

-o-

We enter the bar quietly, not wanting to draw too much attention to ourselves. I'm sure our outfits will do enough of that all on their own. A sleezeball winks at me from the middle of the bar and I quickly avert my gaze. "I feel really weird," I whisper to Alice. "I feel like its Halloween or something."

She giggles and shakes her head. "You're crazy."

My phone beeps again and I quickly pull it out to check.

**Bella? Did you get my last text?**

I swallow and slip my phone back into my clutch. I don't want him to worry, but I can't answer him. If I answer him, I'll have to_ lie_, and I'm not breaking our promise. This time every promise will be kept, no matter what.

I'll text him as soon as we're out of here and I'm on my way home. Well…to his house. Wherever he is feels like home to me anyway.

_Wow, that was fucking lame_.

I'm not even gonna argue with my inner bitch, because she's right. That _was_ lame, but it was also nothing but the truth. Whenever I'm with him, no matter what we're doing, I just feel…home. I feel like there's nowhere else I'd rather be. And when I'm away from him…I place my hand over my heart, feeling the familiar ache that's always there when he's not.

"You okay?" Jessica asks me with worried eyes. "I know what I said in the car…but…if you really feel that bad about it…we can leave. Do you want to?"

I'm about to nod and tell her that yes, I want to leave, when I spot Tanya at the bar. Her head is thrown back and she's laughing at something the blonde woman on her right said to her. Seeing her being all carefree and happy makes my blood boil. Why does she get to do that? Why does she get to go out and meet a friend for drinks while Edward is at home with their son, worrying about every little thing that a parent should worry about _on top_ of _everything_ this bitch has caused him to worry about?

Fuck that. _Fuck her_. She doesn't get to win.

I shake my head no and replace my worried expression with one of determination. Jessica grins at me and holds out her fist. I bump mine against hers and smile back. "There's my girl," she says proudly. "We need to get closer." My eyes widen in panic. "Relax," she soothes. "Not too close, but close enough to hear them okay? You and I will go closer and Alice is going to walk by and go to the bathroom. On her way out, she's going to get a shot of the other chick's face with her phone. Got it?"

"Yeah."

Alice walks away, sashaying like some runway model as she makes her way to the bathroom. When she's safely behind the door, Jessica and I make our way toward the end of the bar. We're two stools away from the mystery woman and I grit my teeth when Tanya's nasally voice fills my ears.

"You should have seen him Katie. He was _so_ fucking pissed. He's going to learn."

"Learn what?" the blonde named Katie asks.

"Learn to never, _ever_, fuck with me again. By the time I'm done with him, Laurent and I will have a house in the Hills. I'll never have to work a day in my life and Laurent will always want to be with me. I mean, who wouldn't right? A hot bitch with money? I'll get any guy I want."

"What about Masen? Did the judge make you have partial custody?"

"No! Thank God! Could you imagine having to play mommy with that little brat twice a month? I could barely stand him when Edward was away. I passed him off to his grandmother as often as I could. Plus he was always such a brat when Laurent was around."

I don't even realize that I'm trying to get up, or the fact that someone is holding me back, until Jessica pinches me. "Ow!" I exclaim, causing Katie to turn around. I quickly avoid her gaze, turning away from the two of them toward Jessica.

"Relax," Jessica says and nods toward them to let me know they've turned back around.

"Crazy bitches," Kate mutters. "Go on."

"We're going to trial. My lawyer is going to get me every dime I want. And I'm going to enjoy using that little whore's ex-fiancé as my personal vibrator while I can. God, he's so fucking hot. Knowing that she probably hates the fact that we're together makes the sex ten times hotter."

"How the hell did you find her ex?" Kate laughs.

"Facebook."

Jesus Christ I hate the internet. I really need to fix my privacy and unfriend James. If I spent any time at all on Facebook at all, I probably would've already done just that.

"And he just agreed to help you?"

"Well…the second I mentioned Isabella Swan, he was all over it. Apparently he'd moved up here to be closer to her. He wants her back. I don't know why. She's so plain Katie. Like…I don't get the appeal, at all."

I ignore the dig and focus on what she said about James. Did he really move up here for me? The thought of that doesn't make me happy at all. It doesn't make me feel victorious either. The fact that he wanted to move up here to "get me back", and is now fucking some other bitch proves that he didn't change at all. Even if he had changed, I wouldn't take him back. I have Edward and he's all that I want or need.

"Maybe she's good at sucking dick?"

I cough on my drink and sputter ridiculously.

"Why are we here Tanya? Apparently they'll let _anyone_ in here."

"I needed somewhere secluded that no one would ever want to come into," she says matter-of-factly. "Laurent is going to be here any minute and I can't have Edward finding out that he's here. That's all he'd need to get me out of the money loop. Fucker." She huffs dramatically. "I don't see what the big deal is. I mean honestly, he has a shit ton of money. Why can't he just give me some? I would stop bothering him and let him have his happily-ever-after with his ugly Susie Homemaker."

Alice joins us then, and I jump slightly because I didn't even notice her coming toward us. I was too focused on seeing red and trying not to jump across the bar and strangle the ever-loving-shit out of Tanya.

"Incoming," Alice sing songs quietly. Jessica and I follow her gaze and see a beautiful man walking toward the bar. He's tall with dark skin and even darker hair that falls in dreads along his face. He has high cheek bones and beautiful white teeth that I notice in the dim light of the bar as he smiles adoringly at Tanya. Barf.

This must be the infamous Laurent. "Darling," he says in a deep rich voice. "I have missed you so." There's a tilt of a French accent in his words that would make any woman swoon. "How was court?"

She shrugs. "It went as well as expected I suppose. We're going to trial though." The beautiful man frowns. "I know my love," Tanya says in what I'm sure she considers a soothing tone. It isn't. "But he wouldn't budge on the money."

"How much longer will we need to stay here?"

"I'm not sure yet."

"This is shit Tanya!" he exclaims.

We all watch in surprise as he storms out of the bar. Tanya isn't far after him, almost tripping with the sky high heels she has on her massive troll feet.

"Christ," Katie mutters. "Here we go again."

When they've all left the bar, I sigh in relief. "Jesus," I mutter as I down a shot. "That was…surreal." Jessica beams at me. "What?"

"I got it all on video," she squeals. "I couldn't keep my phone pointed over there the whole time, because that would look suspicious, but I _did _get audio the entire time. And," she waggles her eyebrows. "I got the important parts in frame, like when Laurent and her were talking and touching."

"That's fantastic!" Alice yells as she herself downs another shot. I raise my eyebrows when I notice how many empty shot glasses are in front of her.

"I think it's time to go home," I say to Jess as I nod in Alice's direction. She snickers and agrees and we help a stumbling Alice back to the car.

In the car, a few minutes into our drive home, I reach across and take Jessica's hand. "Thanks Jess, for everything."

"No problem honey," she says as she squeezes my fingers. "Any time."

I figure this is as good a time as any. "Do you want to come to Edward's parent's house for Thanksgiving?" She stares at me wide eyed for a few seconds. "What?" I ask exasperatedly when it starts creeping me the fuck out.

"You're already spending a holiday together with his parents?"

"Well…yeah. They invited me and my dad up and-"

"AND CHARLIE IS GOING?"

"What the hell?" Alice asks as she sits up in the back seat. "What's with all the yelling? There's a little man hammering away in my head. Please stop."

"Bella is spending Thanksgiving with Charlie _and_ Edward _and_ Edward's parents."

"WHAT?" Alice shrieks.

"What is the big deal? Jesus Christ."

"It's a _huge_ deal!" Alice squeals as she claps her hands. "Oh my God he must really love you."

"He does," I say with a smile.

"Wow," Jessica says quietly as we pull onto my street. "Well…I'm definitely it but…"

"Yes, Mike and his lil guy can come."

A smile covers her face as she hugs me. "Thanks B."

"No problem honey."

"Jasper and I?" Alice asks with a grin.

I roll my eyes. "Of course. And Jake and whatever floozy he decides to bring."

"Damn," Jessica says. "This is going to be the best Turkey Day ever!"

We're all laughing as I get out of the car. "Okay, call me tomorrow. Make sure you drop this off at its spot and get your own car."

"Yeah, I know Bella. I'm not a _total_ idiot."

"And make sure you get Drunky McDrunkerson home too."

She laughs, "Will do, Mama Bella."

"All right, goodnight bitches."

When I walk toward Edward's house instead of my own they both shout out the windows as they pull off. "It will be a good night, I see!"

"Owww Owww!"

I just roll my eyes and ignore them. I make my way toward his door and let myself in with the key he gave me. I may squeal just a little bit. What? It was adorable when he gave it to me.

-o-

"Edward."

He groans and turns over, burrowing into his pillow.

"Edward, baby, I'm home, wake up."

"Hmmphh," is all I get out of him.

Figuring that words aren't going to work, I decide to use my mouth in a different way.

I pull on his shoulder until he's lying on his back. One of his hands slips right behind his head while the other scratches adorably at his stomach. I pull back the blanket and see that he's naked. I lick my lips and thank God, cause I have no idea how I would've gotten his boxer briefs off of him without some form of help from his lifeless body.

I quickly shed my clothes until we're equally naked and slip underneath the covers, resting in between his spread thighs. I slowly run my fingertips up and down the underside of his cock and grin when he twitches in his sleep. "Mmm," he moans out softly, making my grin widen. I love the effect I have on him. It makes me feel better about the unyielding power he has over my heart and body.

"Edward," I whisper against the skin of his hip before I let my tongue flick out and taste his delicious skin. "Time to wake up baby." He has an adorable pout on his face; his eyes shut tightly and his lips all puckered up.

Using just the very tip of my tongue, I let it roam the same path my fingers did seconds before making him grunt and push up his hips. I grip his hard cock firmly in my hand and give him a gentle squeeze, pumping him slowly while I wrap my lips around the head, sucking hard. His hands unconsciously find my hair and the second his fingertips are against my scalp I moan around him.

This wakes him up. He sits up suddenly, looking part confused and part turned the fuck on. "Holy fuck Bella," he groans out, his voice full of sleep and desire. "That's so damn hot. God, you feel amazing." He puts a slight pressure on my head, pushing me down gently until my nose is touching his skin.

I open my throat, and breathing through my nose, let the tip of his cock reach the back of my throat. "Shiiiiit," he grunts. He begins thrusting his hips up into my mouth, always careful to not hurt me. "Bella, baby, I'm not gonna last. It's…fuck…its too hot. You look too fucking sexy with your hot little mouth around my cock."

I moan out again, becoming more and more turned on by his dirty talk. I love sucking Edward's cock. I've never liked it before him, but damn, sucking it just turns me on. I'm soaking wet and my pussy is literally begging for attention. Using my free hand, I reach down in between my thighs and rub my clit slowly.

This makes me go a little crazy, and I start pumping my mouth quickly up and down his length. "Are you touching yourself?" he asks me breathlessly as he pulls the covers completely off of us. "Fuck that's…damn." I pull back off of his cock and giggle at the complete look of sadness that covers Edward's face.

I remove my hand from between my thighs and place it on his hard cock. I rub the wetness that covers my fingers all over his cock in the process. I wink before wrapping my lips around his cock again and slowly pushing every inch back into my mouth. I moan as my taste mixes with him making the most delicious lollipop in existence.

"You're…shit…seriously? Fuck Bella, I'm coming!"

His cum fills my greedy mouth in thick hot streams that I swallow hungrily until there's not a drop left. I remove my mouth from his dick with an audible pop and slide up his body, covering his naked form with my own. "Hi," I say somewhat shyly, even though I was just sucking him off like my life depended on it.

"Hey baby. That was the best wakeup call ever." I giggle and he kisses me deeply, shoving his tongue inside my mouth and exploring it slowly. I moan into his mouth and run my hands through his hair. He pulls back slightly and grins against my lips. "God that's the best taste ever. You and I mixed together; that's fucking heaven."

I smile right along with him before I slide over, burrowing into his side. I sigh in contentment when his arm wraps around me and he pulls me closer. I oblige, moving closer and closer until there isn't an inch of space between us.

"I love you," I whisper into his skin.

"I love you more," is his reply.

Normally I'd argue with him over that fact…but right now I'm too happy and exhausted to do anything other than fall asleep in his arms.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the slight delay. I wanted to keep my promise and get this to you for Christmas! I hope you enjoyed it. Maybe it brought more questions than answers? All of your wonderings will be answered soon enough! Please review! They make me smile…and you get a teaser on Wednesday! Win/Win right? Love you guys, seriously! To everyone celebrating tomorrow, Merry Christmas! I hope you all were nice enough for Santa to come to your houses. I know how naughty you all can be. ;)**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: As always, your reviews make me smile. I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday! Mine was great, aside from the flu I caught right after Christmas…lol. Let's see how our favorite couple handles their first Thanksgiving, yeah?**

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"Bella, do you know where my red tie is?" Edward asks me as he flings the contents of his top drawer all over his room.

"No…but I'm pretty sure your ties aren't in your underwear drawer." I let out a small giggle while he lets out a frustrated grunt. "Babe, check in the closet, where you _actually _keep your ties." I can't help the hint of sarcasm that laces my tone. He lets out another grunt and I'm glad he can't see my answering eye roll.

I heave a sigh as I sit down on the edge of his bed to slip on my flats.

Things have been tense between us for the past couple of days. I could play stupid and pretend that I don't know _why_ I've had a massive knot in my stomach or _why_ I've been such a bitch to him for no reason. I know why; it's because I feel guilty.

I haven't told him about the recon mission I went on with my girls. Even though everything went…smoothly _and_ we actually got some great video footage that would make solid evidence in court, I've been worried about telling Edward all about it. I'm not sure how he'll react. What if he's pissed at me for going behind his back and then keeping it all from him for days afterward?

I'm a hypocritical bitch.

I flipped out on him and called him out on his bullshit when he was being sneaky with the texts and phone calls, and here I am pulling the same shit. Even though I know what I'm doing is _wrong_ – I can't make myself do what's _right_. I'm just a big pussy.

I've told myself that I'll tell him after Thanksgiving. I've reasoned with myself that it's a good idea, because if it _does_ upset him, I don't want it to ruin our first major holiday together. With practically everyone in attendance today, I really don't want anything going wrong. We'll have a full house today; including all of my best friends: Alice, Jessica, and Jake – who are all bringing plus ones. Then we have Edward's parents and Rosalie. And we can't forget my dad. Throw in Edward, Masen, and myself and that's a whole lot of people to have under one roof for an entire day.

I'm taking a deep breath to try and quell the nerves that rise in my throat at just the_ thought _of how many things could go wrong today when my phone rings.

"Hello?" I answer, trying to keep my voice calm and even.

"Hey Bells," my dad's gruff voice fills my ear. "I just had a quick question."

"Okay, shoot."

"Are we allowed to bring a guest?"

I can almost see the blush on his cheeks over the phone. "Um…yeah, you can, why?"

He coughs. "Just uh…wondering. So I'll see you up there, okay kiddo?"

"Okaaay," I answer uncertainly.

"Bye Bells."

I'm about to say bye but he's already hung up.

"Huh. That was weird."

"What was?" Edward asks as he tries to tie the tie he finally found.

I stand up and walk over to him, helping him tie it correctly. For someone who was in the military, he sucks at tying ties. Then a thought hits me – maybe _he's_ nervous. Could Edward be just as nervous about today as I am? Probably. I mean, we've both met each other's parents, but this is a big deal. This is a major holiday that we're all spending together and this is still a very new relationship. Plus, the last time Edward and my dad had a "talk"…it didn't go over so well.

My thighs clench when I think of how well it turned out in the end. I shake my head to keep the dirty thoughts away. I answer Edward's question to distract myself. "My dad…he asked if we were allowed to bring a guest. Why would he ask that?"

Edward just arches an eyebrow. When I don't say anything, he copies my famous move and rolls his eyes. "Think about it Bella. He wants to know if he can bring a _guest_."

"Who would he bring?"

"I don't know. Probably just a date."

I choke out a breath. "What? A _date_? My dad doesn't…he _does not_ date."

Edward lets out a chuckle and shakes his head. "He might not date…but really Bella, do you think he's been celibate for the last decade?"

I take a step back like he just slapped me. "_What_?" I practically shriek.

"Bella, he's a man with needs. You told me yourself how all of the women in this town eye him all the time. Do you think he just ignores it?"

"_Yes_!"

He laughs again and takes a step toward me. I take a step back, as if keeping my distance will make his words less true. "Bella, baby, he's a _guy_."

"So?"

"He's going to capitalize on it."

I narrow my eyes at him, feeling my inner bitch surge and take over the controls of my brain-to-mouth filter. "Girls look at _you_ all of the time like you're a piece of meat. You're a guy, do _you_ capitalize on it?" I said it half because it's true and half because I _really_ needed to change the subject.

His eyes narrow back at me and his jaw clenches. Edward is pissed. I get a sick thrill off of his anger; the pool of wetness between my legs surprises me as much as it turns me on further.

"No," he says in an eerily calm voice. "I do not _capitalize_ on it. Why the fuck would you say that?" Oh God, the cursing is_ not_ helping the situation in my pants right now. "You think girls look at me like I'm a piece of meat?" I nod mutely, guessing I'm not really supposed to answer. "Guys look at you like they'd give their left arm to be able to fuck you."

"They do not," I reply weakly, taking another step back from him.

"Yes they fucking do. It drives me absolutely insane. I want to rip every bastard's dick off who has the balls to even glance in your direction." He takes a step toward me and cages me against the wall, his muscled arms on either side of my head. "You are _mine_."

The tone of his voice, combined with the words he just spoke make my blood boil in my veins, fueling unbelievable lust that I've never felt before. Edward and I have had sex many times, and it's always been the most amazing sex of my life – even though I didn't have great sex before him – but right now? Nothing so far could compare to the feelings that are rushing through me.

In the very back of my mind, I know we only have an hour to be ready and then on the road if we expect to make it in time for dinner in Seattle; but right now? I couldn't care less about dinner, Thanksgiving, or anything else but Edward.

I go through my mental "be-an-adult" checklist, and let out a relived sigh when I realize we have time to spare. We already packed all of the desserts into the trunk of Edward's car. Masen is already safely in Seattle, having slept over with Rosalie at his grandparent's house the night before.

Edward smirks down at me, clearly aware of what's going on in my head. "Bellaaa," he drags out my name, the tone of his voice nothing less than sex incarnate. "I need you."

I don't respond with words. I clasp my hands together over the back of his neck and pull him down to my lips, crushing them against his. He responds enthusiastically, sliding his tongue into my mouth and making me groan into his.

Our hands are everywhere, frantically trying to get the other undressed. We fumble and laugh along the way to the bed, thankfully naked before we get there. When he plops me down in the middle of the bed, though, all traces of humor are gone from his features, replaced with nothing but lust and need.

He kisses me gently, molding his lips against mine, before letting his lips travel lower. His lips leave a trail of burned flesh in their wake as he makes his way down to my breasts. His lips cover every inch of them with painstakingly slow kisses. He grins against my skin when I groan, clearly pleased with himself for teasing me.

"Edward, please." My tone is breathy and needy and bordering on pathetic, but right now, I can't find it in me to care. All I want – _no, need_ – is for him to be inside me. "I need you baby." He groans against my skin and I know his control is wavering. "I need you inside me right now. I need to feel you."

"Bella," his voice is strained and when he looks up at me, my next words die in my throat. He's so beautiful. His dark green eyes bore into mine as he lines our bodies up perfectly. When the head of his cock grazes my clit I gasp and arch my back, desperately seeking more friction. "Tell me," he begs, and I don't even need him to explain.

"I'm yours," I answer immediately. "Only yours."

He growls and the animalistic sound fuels my own possessive side. When he finally slides into my soaking pussy, I let out my own growl. It sounds more like a kitten meowing compared to Edward's lion like sounds, but his head snaps up and he smirks at me. "You're mine," I say as I lift my hips to meet his every thrust.

He pushes into me roughly and kisses me hungrily. When he pulls back, he places his forehead against mine, and answers me without breaking eye contact. "Yes."

We don't kiss. We keep our foreheads pressed together as the room fills with the sounds of our hips joining. There are growls, moans, groans, and grunts; sounds that with anyone else would make me blush with embarrassment; but with Edward it just makes me want more.

My walls tighten around him, making it impossibly tighter, causing Edward to gasp. "Not gonna…fuck…not gonna last."

"I'm so close," I breathe out, almost begging him to hold off.

"Cum for me Bella, cum all over my cock. Mark me as yours." He kisses me then, with such passion that literally knocks me breathless. When we break apart, I'm gasping for air, but I don't have time to fill my lungs before the most intense pleasure explodes through me. My hips desperately writhe up against Edward, who is still pounding away; his neck straining as his body tries to find its release.

"I love you," I groan against the skin of his neck.

"Shit," he hisses as his thrusts still, exploding deep inside me.

He smiles down at me before gently pulling out. We both hiss at the loss of contact as he settles down beside me before pulling me against his body.

"You okay?" he asks me sweetly. I nod into his neck, placing tiny kisses along his sweaty skin. "I'm sorry…I acted like a dick."

"No, you didn't. I was being a bitch. I just didn't want to think of my father that way. It's really gross to imagine him…you know."

He laughs and pulls me closer. "I know. But it's good for him right? To have somebody?"

As I lay in the warmth of Edward's embrace, I realize that I want this for him. I want him to feel this; this happiness and love. I smile as I look up at him. "Yeah. If she's as great as you are…I couldn't ask for anything more for my dad. He deserves someone amazing to make him feel amazing."

Even in the dark, I know he's blushing. "I love you Bella. So much."

"I know."

I also know that I should get up and clean up…but I can't make my jello-like limbs do anything but snuggle closer to Edward's warm body.

-o-

Arriving at Edward's parents' house is like arriving at a palace; there's really no other way to describe it. It looks more like a luxurious hotel than a childhood home. I'm pretty sure my entire house could fit in the foyer alone.

Thankfully, my father's police cruiser wasn't out front when we pulled up, so he'll have me to soften the blow when he gets here. Charlie doesn't do well with fancy. Charlie is a pizza and football kind of guy and seeing the spread that Esme has laid out…he's going to be a little uncomfortable.

The Cullen's personalities thankfully do not match their exquisite and expensive surroundings. Esme and Carlisle have always been very kind and polite to me; Esme herself has always been very…unique. As soon as I finish that thought, Esme comes running from around a corner, scaring me half to death.

"Oh, Bella! It's so lovely to finally have you here honey. How was the drive? Not too long, I hope. Do you know where your father is? I hope he arrives soon, I wouldn't want him to miss out on football." She worries her bottom lip with her teeth and I giggle slightly.

"Esme, he'll be here soon and I'm sure he's going to have a great time. Charlie's idea of a Thanksgiving meal is going to the diner." It's true. We spent every Thanksgiving until I could work a stove at the diner. It sucked, to put it blankly.

You can only have meatloaf and potatoes on Thanksgiving for so many years without going crazy. When I was fourteen, I got a Cooking for Dummies book and cooked every night for three months in preparation of Thanksgiving. When I finally had everything perfected but the turkey…I went for it.

I was scared shitless that I'd burn the turkey and ruin Thanksgiving and we'd end up at the diner again. Thankfully, it came out perfect, and every year since I've spent it with my dad, giving him one of the rare days where he eats a home cooked meal.

A knock at the door rips me from the thoughts and Esme claps in delight. "That's probably the Chief now."

But it isn't. It's Jacob and some leggy chick – presumably from the Reservation because I've never seen her before and Forks is a small you-know-every-town. She's _gorgeous_ though; light russet skin and big brown eyes make her look like a runway model. "Hey Bells," Jake says awkwardly after Esme releases him from a hug. She moves onto the girl beside Jake, and once she's free as well they both walk over to me.

The girl tucks a piece of her long silky looking black hair behind her ear and looks down briefly, avoiding eye contact. _That's not a good sign_. When she looks up at me though, I can see why she looked down. She's scared shitless…of _me_.

I narrow my eyes at Jake who just smirks at me. He probably scared the girl half to death, making her think I'm some kind of psychotic bitch. Well…it's half true. I can be a total bitch, but I'm not _psychotic._

"Hey," I say gently, trying to ease her worries. "I'm Bella."

She takes my extended hand and grips it tightly. "I'm L-Leah. It's really nice to meet you. Jake has told me all about you."

I arch an eyebrow at him and he proudly nods with a huge smile on his face. "I did." He wraps his arm around her shoulders and pulls her tightly against him. My mouth practically drops to the floor when he leaves a tender kiss on her temple. She smiles up at him, giving him a look of total love and adoration.

"Jake, can I talk to you for a minute?" He looks worried but nods and disengages himself from Leah. She grips his hand but releases it after he whispers something in her ear.

We walk far enough away where our words will not be overhead. Edward, the amazing man that he is, steps in and talks to Leah. I watch as her shoulders ease as he makes her feel comfortable.

"What the fuck is going on?"

Jake's eyes widen, he's clearly taken aback; not expecting that to come out of my mouth. I don't apologize or give him any further indication of anything. I cross my arms over my chest an arch an eyebrow at him.

He coughs and shuffles his feet. "What?" he asks stupidly. I raise both eyebrows, my silent way of telling him to fucking spill it before I lost my temper. "Okay, okay." He raises his hands in a half assed version of self-defense. "I love her."

This time it's my eyes that widen, because _goddamn_, I was not expecting that shit to come out of his mouth. "What?" He arches an eyebrow, trying to have my badass silent skills; but I just arch an eyebrow back, and he folds.

"I love her Bella. Fuck, I've never loved any other girl like this." His face looks panicked as he holds up his hands once more. "Wait. I love you. Just…I meant…" he wrinkles his nose. "In a romantic way. Shit. Do you get what I'm saying?" I do get it; I just like making him squirm. So I shrug. He narrows his eyes at me. "Fuck you Bella. You know what I mean."

I let out a small giggle and hold my arms out. He lets out a relieved breath and wraps his arms around my waist, squeezing me to him tightly. "I know what you mean. I'm so happy for you Jake."

"You're not mad?" he mumbles like a little kid afraid of his mother's answer.

I laugh. "No. Why would I be?"

He steps back and shrugs, putting his hands into his pockets. "I don't know. I didn't tell ya."

"Well…we've both been busy apparently." He chokes out a laugh and grimaces. "Oh shut up. Deal with it."

"Yeah, yeah. So how _are_ you and Edward?"

I smile and feel myself blush. "We're really good." _For now_, my conscious adds as an afterthought.

"He's treating you right?"

"Yes," I answer with an eye roll.

"Maybe I should give him a heart to heart."

"Maybe I should give _Leah_ a heart to heart, too," I retort.

He hangs his head and sighs heavily. When he lifts his head, his mouth is up in crooked grin. "Fine. I won't."

"I won't either then."

"Deal."

He holds his hand out to fist bump while we both grin like idiots.

-o-

"So, Mike, what is it that you do?"

"I work at the lumber yard," he answers with a slight blush.

"Oh! You must be very strong," Esme beams at him.

His blush deepens and he nods.

I snort but quickly cover it up with a cough. At least, I think I cover it up with a cough. But I guess I didn't do a very good job, because Jessica gives me a dirty look and Alice kicks me from her seat on my right. Rosalie, who is sitting across the table next to Jess snorts, but not _one _person, gives her a hard time about it.

_Probably because they're scared of her_.

True.

Esme, the perfect host as always, directs the conversation toward a less tense subject. "Chief, how is the town of Forks fairing under your powerful hand?"

Charlie turns as red as a tomato when everyone's attention turns to him. "Um…" he stutters out, trying to find his words. When Sue, his date, places her hand on his shoulder, his visibly relaxes and gives her a grateful smile before turning to face Esme once more. "It's fairing pretty well I think. There's not much trouble around there anyway. It's a good place to raise kids."

Esme smiles and Carlisle nods, "If Bella is any indication, I'd say you're right Chief."

Carlisle's words make_ me_ blush now. What the hell is this, pass the embarrassment? "Thank you Carlisle," I murmur as I duck my head, looking at the table. Edward grabs my hand under the table and gives it a gentle squeeze.

"I'm gonna grow up in Forks!" Masen shouts suddenly, making everyone at the table laugh. "And Bella's gonna be my new mommy!" Every falls silent and stares blankly at the adorable little boy who is now hiding under Rose's arm to avoid everyone's gaze.

"Masen," I murmur quietly as the conversation gradually picks up again around me. He peeks out from underneath Rose's arm and looks at me nervously. "I love you."

His smile is huge as he replies. "I love you too."

-o-

"Thank you Ma'am," Jasper replies politely before hugging Esme. "It was great to share this holiday with you. You're cookin' reminds me of my Mama's."

Esme blushes this time around and Alice and I giggle. "Thank you Jasper. You can come back any time. Any friend of Edward or Bella's is always welcome. You too, Alice." She hugs her tightly, but unlike everyone else who was surprised by Esme's random hugs, Alice hugs her right back with vigor.

"I'll see you later," Alice says quietly as she hugs me next.

And that's what happens for the next ten minutes; rounds of hugs and kisses followed by promises to see or call each other soon.

My dad is the last one to say bye to me. "So, you're staying here tonight?"

"Yes Dad."

"You can always ride home with Sue and me."

"Charlie," Sue interrupts and steps forward, wrapping her arm around his waist. "She's staying here with her boyfriend. She's a grown woman and can make her own choices."

My father's face is once again bright like a tomato's as he nods and mumbles. "Love you Bells," he says gruffly as he hugs me. Holidays always make Charlie emotional.

"Love you too Dad. Have fun and be safe." His eyes widen and I feel like I'm going to throw up. "I meant on the drive home Dad. Jesus." Edward and Sue find this hilarious. Charlie and I give them matching death glares.

-o-

"Did you have fun?" Edward asks me quietly. We're lying in his childhood bed, cuddling together so closely that I'm practically on top of him; not that either of us are complaining.

"I did," I answer truthfully. "It was great. Even eating at the same table as Mike Newton didn't ruin it."

He laughs and kisses my forehead. "I had a lot of fun. I felt bad for Rosalie though." He frowns and looks sad.

"Because she missed Emmett?" He nods. "She'll be okay. He'll be home soon and in time for Christmas, which is what she was really concerned about."

My reassurance helps and he smiles down at me. "You're right."

"I'm always right."

"Oh yeah?"

"Mhm."

He flips us over quickly, until I'm trapped beneath him. "How about I tickle you?"

"No," I say, my eyes wide. "Don't do it."

"I think I'm gonna do it."

"Don't."

"Sorry."

"Edward!" I squeal out his name as his fingers assault every surface of my skin he can reach. By the time he's satisfied, I'm gasping for air and on the verge of sweating. "Asshole," I mutter as I try to move away from him. There's really nowhere for me to go, and if I'm being honest, I wouldn't move even if we were in his king sized bed.

"I love you," he whispers against my neck before kissing behind my ear.

"I love you too."

"Can I ask you a question?" he asks nervously.

"What?"

I turn around to face him, smiling when he wraps his arms around me. I slide my legs in between his and my smile grows when he wraps one leg over my hip. We're entwined as much as you can be when he finally asks me his question.

"Did Masen freak you out earlier? With the whole Bella is going to be my mommy thing?"

Now it's my turn to be nervous. I shake my head.

"Really?"

"Really," I answer truthfully. "I…I want to be his mommy one day."

Even in the darkness I can see his eyes brighten. "You do?"

I nod and kiss his lips gently. When we break apart, I assure him. "I really do. I…I want it so badly. I know we've skimmed this subject and talked about this leading there." I motion between the two of us and he nods. "But I want you to know that I want him just as badly as I want you. I love him Edward, with my whole entire heart. I couldn't love him more even if I gave birth to him myself."

Edward clears his throat and shoves his face into my neck, his breathing ragged. I would bet my life that the small bit of wetness I feel against my skin is tears, but I say nothing. Instead I run my fingers through his hair and let him process my words.

"I wish that was true Bella. I wish you were his birth mother." I bite my lip and he looks up at me from his position. "No. That's not right. You are his mother Bella, in every way that matters, whether you gave birth to him or not. Do you know that?" I nod, unable to form words around the lump in my throat. "Tanya…she hurt him so deeply. I think his pain is far more severe than mine ever could be. You make him smile Bella. You make him happy. You make him feel loved. You're the only "mommy" he's ever known. To him, there is no other mommy for him. Just like there's no other woman for me."

Tears are streaming down my face by the time he's done speaking. He moves his lips from my neck to my lips, making the journey teasingly slow. When his lips finally meet mine, I literally melt against him, letting every part of me sink against him. I want nothing more than to lose myself in him. I want to take advantage of the fact that Masen is in his room that his grandparents have for him, in a house that is thankfully so big that we're nowhere near said room.

However, my damn subconscious has other plans. "Edward," I gasp in between heated kisses. "Edward stop."

He stops immediately, looking at me with worry in his eyes. "I'm sorry, I-"

I shake my head and place my fingertips over his lips. "No. I want to. It's not that. I…"

"What, Bella?"

"I need to tell you something."

"Okay," he says with a small amused grin on his face.

"It's about Tanya."

The smile disappears, right along with my last bit of courage.

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**A/N: How do y'all think Edward is gonna take it? What'd ya think about Thanksgiving? What'd you think about _anything_? Let me know your thoughts! You guys always make me giggle and smile. Reviewers get a teaser of chapter 18…which may just be Edward's reaction…in EPOV! Review review review! You know you wanna get inside Edward's head.  
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	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: For those of you who reviewed, this first part may seem a little repetitive – because you got the teaser in EPOV for being awesome and reviewing! But this is BPOV, so that's cool right?! Thank you to everyone who reads and reviews this story. It means the world to me! Let's see how Edward takes it and what's going through Bella's head. Yeah? xo**

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Seeing him frown makes my heart clench. "Tanya?" he asks in an eerily calm voice. I nod, but don't say anything else. We sit silently for a while before he speaks again. "What about_ her_?" The way he says "her" makes me inwardly cringe. He must be pissed and is trying to hide it. If he's pissed at the simple sound of her name, he's going to be really mad about what I did. _Shit shit shit_.

"I saw her the other night," I quickly rush out.

His eyebrows shoot up into his hairline. "How did you see Tanya?" His facial expression is a mixture of confusion and dread. When I don't answer, he becomes desperate. "Bella, please tell me." His voice is borderline panicked.

"We spied on her," I blurt. "I'm sorry! It was Jessica's idea. Since I knew she was going to be there, she thought we should go and get some dirt, you know? I didn't want to do it but she made me!" Realizing what I just said, I pause and roll my eyes at myself. _Seriously Bella_? "I mean she didn't _make_ me but…fuck, I don't know! I just don't want her to be able to hurt you. I wanted you to hurt her in court! And we got stuff Edward. _Really good_ stuff."

He doesn't say anything for a few seconds and then he laughs. He fucking _laughs_. What the hell? "What's so funny?" I ask, trying to keep the irritation out of my voice. I'm not going to be irritated with him when I'm the one that's been a deceitful bitch for the last few days. _Uh-uh_. Ain't happening.

"You're out of your mind," he chuckles out. "Come here, crazy." He opens his arms to me and I scramble into them quickly before he can change his mind. He lies down, taking me with him and snuggling me up to him like I'm his favorite teddy bear. I stare at his handsome face and seriously wonder how the hell I ever got so lucky. How did this amazing man find me? What did I do in life to deserve him?

"What?" he asks me with a small smile on his face.

_Don't ask! Don't question it! Just enjoy!_

"You're not mad at me?"

_Idiot._

He shrugs. "No."

_What_?

"Even though I went and spied on your ex-wife without telling you, and even though I kept it from you for days?"

_You really need to shut the fuck up!_

He squeezes me tightly as he lets out a heavy sigh. "No. I'm not mad at you for any of that. I wish you told me, but I get why you didn't."

"You do?" This surprises me.

"Yeah. You were waiting for the right time. I'd be pissed if you never told me, but you did."

Could it really be that easy? Just like that? James would get _livid_ if I wore a t-shirt of his without asking, and here Edward is; ready to easily forgive me of lying and scheming and keeping something _really_ important from him. "I was expecting you to be really mad," I mutter.

"Why?" His question makes me wish I kept my fucking mouth shut.

"I don't know," I lie pathetically, knowing he's going to question me.

"Bella?"

_Ugh, see._

I sigh. "James always got really pissed at me, for a lot less than this. So…I don't know…I just…"

"I love you Bella. I would never treat you badly."

I smile up at him and nod. "I love you," I breathe out as I roll over and straddle his hips. "Thank you for not being mad at me."

He gives me his famous smirk. "I don't think I could ever be mad at you."

I laugh loudly, I just can't help it. He must know how out of my mind I am by now, and I'll eventually drive him crazy. "I'm sure you will be at some point, but I'll always make it up to you."

"Oh yeah?" he asks as his smiles widely at me.

"Yeah," I breathe out, feeling the moisture build already. "Should I get started now?"

"Fuck yes."

His words make me bold. I start out by grinding my hips against him, eliciting a lovely moan from his throat. I feel him harden beneath me and smirk down at him. "What?" he asks me, a little breathlessly.

"Nothing," I shrug. I lean down and kiss his lips firmly. He runs his hands along my hips, slipping them down to his favorite spot – my ass. He gives it a firm squeeze that makes me groan against his lips. "These need to go," I tug at his boxers.

"Yes ma'am."

I kneel up, holding myself high enough so he can wiggle out of them.

Once he's naked below me, I attempt to sit back in my favorite spot ever, but Edward stops me. "Uh-uh baby, these need to go. Fuck everything needs to go." I bite my lip as I pull my tank top over my head and I giggle when he pulls my shorts down and groans. "No panties? What are you trying to do to me?"

"I think that's pretty obvious Mr. Cullen."

Once I'm as naked as he is, I resume my position, straddling his lap. I gasp when the head of his hard cock rubs against my thigh. "You are _so sexy_, do you know that?" I ask him as I run my hands up and down his abs. His muscles tense under my touch and I have a sudden urge to lick his nipple – so I do. He gasps and writhes beneath me.

"Shit," he mutters, making me giggle against his skin. "I need to be inside you."

Wasting no time, I grab his cock and guide him into me. We both sigh as he fills me completely. "I love you," I whisper against his lips before pressing mine to his. "I love you," he murmurs as he kisses me, making me giggle.

I don't know how sex is_ supposed_ to be, but it's never been this way for me. It's never been amazing and fun. If I had giggles with James, I'm pretty sure I would've been screamed at and told to "fuck off" or something equally romantic. Cue eye roll.

Our breathing becomes labored as I rock back and forth against him, sliding his cock in and out of my soaked folds. "Edward," I gasp out his name. "More."

I make sure my knees are planted firmly on the mattress and my hands are securely on his shoulders. I know what's coming. He grips my hips tightly and thrusts up into me. My eyes cross as he fills me over and over, never losing his rhythm of fucking me senseless.

"Play with your clit, Bella," he begs me. I reach in between us and rub my clit in small tight circles, making sure to hold onto his shoulder for dear life with my free hand. One of his hands releases my hip and trails up my body, leaving goose bumps in its wake, not stopping until it's planted firmly on my breast. He runs his thumb over my nipple before pinching it gently.

I groan and swivel my hips, riding him hard, meeting him thrust for thrust. Edward leans his face up and captures a nipple in between his lips, sucking it hungrily and making me cry out as all of the sensations quickly over take me. I completely forget that we're in Edward's parents' house and try to quiet my gasps and groans.

Edward's eyes scrunch tightly together as I ride out my orgasm and because I know his body so well, I cover his lips with mine, right before he roars out and explodes deep inside me. I can only hope nobody heard us. That would be awkward in the morning. We both continuing slowly rocking together, riding out our respective highs. When he stills, I collapse on top of him, smiling in contentment, feeling completely sated. "Wow."

"Yeah," he laughs into my neck. "Any time you wanna make something up to me, go for it babe."

I giggle against his skin before kissing from his neck to his lips. "I really am sorry about keeping it from you. It really was about not ruining Thanksgiving and me being…scared."

He kisses my temple and wraps his arms around me. "I know Bella. I'm not mad okay?" I nod. "Just…from now on, trust me, alright? We can get through anything but it has to be together. No more secrets or lies."

"Okay," I say with a smile before I snuggle into his neck and drift off into the best night's sleep I've had in days.

-o-

"Bella! Wake up!"

"Hmmphh!"

"Bella come on! I'll pull the covers offa you!"

"No! I'm up!" I yell out suddenly, practically scaring Masen to death. I realize too late that I'm somehow dressed. "Sorry," I mumble when he bites his lip – his clear sign of "Am I in trouble?"

"What's up?" I ask him with a smile on my face so he knows he's not in trouble at all.

"Wanna eat breakfast with us?" he asks excitedly. "Gramma made panacakes!"

"You mean pancakes?" I ask with a laugh.

"Yeah," he rolls his eyes – something he's probably picked up from me. Oops. "That's what I said Bella. Panacakes!"

"Okay," I try my best to stifle my giggles. "I'll be down in a minute." He crawls up on the bed and kisses me on the cheek. He's so freakin' sweet. "Hey," I call to him as he's about to run out of the room. "Where's your Dad?"

He shrugs. "I think he went runnin' with Grampa."

"Okay," I answer with a small smile. "I'll be down in two minutes."

"Two?" he asks with a grin.

"Yep."

"'Kay! I'm gonna count!"

Exactly two minutes later, I walk into the kitchen, smiling when I see Masen on his grandma's lap. They're counting together. I roll my eyes before they look up.

"You made it in time!" Masen says happily as he runs toward me.

I scoop him up and hug him to me tightly before readjusting him onto my hip. "Of course I did. Now where's these yummy panacakes I've been hearing about?"

"You said it right!" he squeals as we walk toward the table.

I put him down in front of Esme, but he crawls right up into my lap as soon as I sit down. "I see I've been replaced as your favorite seat," she says with a smile as she gets up.

"Oh no, Esme," I reply quickly. I don't want her thinking that I stole her time with him. I know they don't get to see him as often with him being in Forks while they're in Seattle. "He can sit with you. I'm sorry I-"

"I wanna sit with you Bella," Masen says with a frown on his face. "You don't wanna sit with me?"

He tries to get up and I clamp my hands around his torso, probably suffocating the poor kid. "No! I mean, yes! Of course I do. I love you and I love when we sit together."

"Really?" he asks with a shy smile on his face.

"I promise."

"Okay."

He's all smiles again and I mouth another "I'm sorry" to Esme who dismisses me with another smile and a wave. I see Edward walking up the steps to the back patio through the glass door and my heart kick starts in my chest while my brain tells me to run to him. It's pathetic how much I love him.

At the same moment I wish for him to come right in, Esme steps out into the cool November air and begins talking to him. He looks over to me a few times while they talk so it's not hard to figure out what their topic is. I give him a nervous smile before looking away – unable to watch anymore without becoming so nervous that I puke all over the lovely breakfast Esme made.

I've eaten three pancakes by the time Edward comes in, smiling widely at me before kissing me soundly. "Daddy that's so gross," Masen mutters. "Kiss her like this." He sets his little lips on my cheek and I smile. "See? She smiled. She likes that. You make her go "ohhh" like a booboo when you kiss her. You have to be nice to girls. Okay?"

Everyone is in stitches from his little rant, even Carlisle who just came in and only heard the last bit of it. "Okay," Edward says after another chuckle. "I'll be more of a gentleman." He leans down and presses his lips to my temple, making me shiver and smile. "Is that better?"

Masen eyes him before looking at me. I nod and he grins at his dad. "Yeah she liked that. She smiled."

The rest of the morning goes on as such. Masen is adorable and makes everyone laugh throughout breakfast. Esme shows me Edward's baby pictures, which are so adorable that my ovaries set up a protest against birth control and anything else that would prevent us from making more gorgeous babies like him and Masen. I choke on my orange juice at the thought.

Rose stumbles in when breakfast is almost over and Masen cracks up at his Aunt's bedhead. I'm sure he's the only one who would be able to get away with such a thing. She declares that she hasn't had enough sleep and trudges back up to Emmett's old room after yelling down the stairs that she'll see us in Forks later today.

Esme just shrugs and laughs. Rose isn't a morning person.

Before we leave, we make plans for Carlisle and Esme to visit us – all three of us. It's kind of crazy how I'm considered part of the family now. Not just Edward's girlfriend.

When Masen takes my hand and pulls me toward the car, I see Esme and Edward talking once more. Edward looks at me after his mother says something in his ear and nods, making Esme light up like a kid on Christmas. Huh, interesting.

-o-

**I miss you.**

Edward's text makes me smile.

**I miss you more.**

He makes me corny. Shut up. I love him.

My phone vibrates again, but unfortunately I have to ignore it.

I hear my class coming before they enter the room, some covered in paint, some thankfully not. "Hey guys! How was art?"

"Great!"

"Awesome!"

"I made something for my Mommy!"

"That's excellent," I say with a smile. "I need everyone to take their seats; we have a lot to discuss, okay?"

They all scurry to their seats quickly, making me thankful for the fiftieth time this year that I got these kids. The other kindergarten teacher isn't fairing as well as I am. I think she's going to quit. Some of those kids are terrors, but don't tell anyone I said that.

I walk to the front of the room and smile at my sweet kids. "Okay. So in a few weeks, the school is going to have a Christmas pageant!" All of their eyes light up at the mention of Christmas. I can see the little wheels turning in their heads, probably mentally composing their Christmas lists. "Guess what we get to do? We get to sing a song! Who here knows Jingle Bells?"

About half the class raises their hands, including Masen. "That's awesome! Those of you who don't know it, that's okay. We're all going to learn it together. Alright?" They all nod rapidly. "We'll start tomorrow, right after morning work."

There are excited murmurs throughout the room. "Everyone can have free time now." That's all it takes for them to spring up and become the rambunctious five-year-olds I know and love.

I check my phone while they're occupied and smile.

**Not possible beautiful. I can't wait to see you tonight.**

**I can't wait either. Love you.**

**Love you too.**

It's true. I can't fucking wait. We're going to a charity dinner tonight that Edward's hosting. It's a dinner where Marines, whether active or retired, attend with their families and raise money for less fortunate families. It's kind of like _Toys for Tots_, but instead of focusing just on the kids, it will focus on the parents and the household as a whole. Parents can write their own version of Christmas lists that include all types of things they may need around the house – like pillows, towels, pots and pans, and other essentials that can add up when you're struggling to make it.

He's really fucking sweet.

In the week that's passed since Thanksgiving, I've spent every single night at Edward's. I've only gone to my house twice for clothes. The second time I went, Edward had whispered in my ear, telling me to bring enough for the rest of the week, so I did. It's been amazing, spending all of this extra time with him and Masen. Thankfully, Masen's loved it so far, and hasn't mentioned anything about it at school. Edward or Rosalie still drops him off at school every day and picks him up. It would just be weird if he rode in with me. If a student or parent saw it, it would be questioned. I don't really care about the parent part, because it's my life and I can date who I want; but I care about the kids – they'd wonder what was up. Honestly, I'd probably have a line for rides into school with Ms. Swan. No thank you.

"Ms. Swan?" I look up and see Masen standing in front of my desk with a frown on his face.

"Yeah Masen?"

"Eric hit me and I hit him back and he's crying." By the time he's done with his sentence, he's crying too. I go into full teacher mode and separate both boys to each side of my classroom. I talk to Masen first.

"What happened, Masen?"

"Eric was mad because I got the fire truck first. I told him I would let him play next but he got really mad and pushed me. When I was on the ground, he kicked me." He sniffles and wipes his nose with the back of his sleeve.

"Did you hit him back?"

"Yeah huh, I punched him."

"Why did you punch him?"

"He kicked me!" he yells suddenly. My eyes widen by his outburst and so do his. "I'm sorry!" he claps both hands over his mouth. When he lowers them, his lip is trembling. "I didn't mean that. I'm sorry." He looks so close to breaking down that I have to hug him. I hug him to me tightly and kiss his hair. I notice all of the other kids staring at us with rapt attention. "Please don't leave me and my daddy, Bella," he whispers, sounding so heartbroken that my own heart clenches in response.

"I won't." I keep my voice down. "We can't talk about that now, okay?" His eyes widen and he nods. "I need to go talk to Eric."

"Am I in trouble?"

I'm not going to lie to him and I can't give him preferential treatment either, it wouldn't be right. "Yes. Both you and Eric are going to miss free time for the rest of the week." His shoulders slump but I push back the guilty feeling that rises in me.

"Okay," he answers quietly before blowing his nose with the end of his t-shirt.

"I'm going to talk to Eric now."

After talking with both Eric and Masen, I decide that no free time for a week is an okay deal, considering its Wednesday. Eric admitted that he pushed Masen because he was playing with someone besides him. "We're supposed to be best friends!" he said through his tears. It was so adorable that I had to give him a hug too.

Ten minutes later, they were both perfectly fine and chatting quietly at the time-out table. I guess I shouldn't have let them talk, considering they were on punishment for the day…but I guess I'm a softie.

-o-

When I walk into Edward's later that afternoon, I'm met with a sight that makes my stomach roll and my heart hurt. Masen is in Edward's lap, crying – no, _sobbing_. Edward is trying and failing to calm him down. When he spots me, his eyes widen in relief. "Thank God," he mutters. "Bella, what happened?" Edward's voice is slightly panicked and I want to slap myself. I called Eric's dad but I didn't call Edward because I would be seeing him right after work. _Stupid_.

"I'm so sorry Edward," I say truthfully as I walk toward them. "I completely forgot to call you. Has he told you much?" I nod toward Masen's shaking form. Edward shakes his head. "Masen and Eric got into a fight today. It was physical. I had to punish both of them with the time-out table for the rest of the day and I had to take away their free time for the rest of this week."

Edward gives me a sad smile and asks the one question I never expected him to ask. "Are you okay?"

"What?"

He raises an eyebrow and I shrug, willing the tears back.

Honestly, I'm not okay. I feel terrible about what happened today. And the whole feeling terrible thing – makes me feel more terrible!

I feel terrible that I had to yell at Masen and that I had to punish him. I hate that he was so sad and that his knee jerk reaction was that I would leave him and Edward. With his mother's track record, I can't really blame him for that, but it doesn't make it hurt any less. I feel so bad for him, and the fact that I had to make him feel worse by disciplining him has made me feel like a total piece of shit.

On top of all that, I feel like a bad teacher because I've dished out the same type of discipline throughout the year so far on a handful of kids and while I felt bad – I didn't feel this bad. I seriously just want to get on Edward's lap and cry too. However, I'm an adult and life isn't that easy.

"I don't know," I answer quietly. "I feel bad."

"Don't," Edward says just above a whisper. "He'll be okay."

"Can I talk to him?"

Edward nods as I sit down beside him and after depositing Masen on my lap, he leaves the room quietly.

"Mase? You okay?" He shrugs but doesn't remove his face from my neck. "Are you sad?" He nods against my skin. "Can you tell me why?"

"I don't want you to be mad at me," he mumbles. "I don't want you to l-l-leave. I-I love y-you," he hiccups as his tears take over once again.

This time I join him in his tears. I cry with him and for him. I feel so much heartache for this tiny little boy in my arms. It pisses me off to no end that he was hurt because his mother is a selfish bitch.

"I love you too and I'm not going anywhere, okay?"

"P-Promise?"

"I promise Masen."

Normally I wouldn't be one to promise such a thing. As much as the thought kills me – Edward and I _could_ break up. Nothing is set in stone and shit happens. I don't know how I'd survive it if it _did _happen, but I know that no matter what happens with me and Edward, I'll always be in Masen's life. I know Edward would never keep us apart and I would never abandon him that way.

"Okay," he says with a small smile on his face.

"You know why I had to punish you right?" He nods. "I still love you. There's _nothing _you could say or do that would ever change that. Got it?"

"Nothin'?"

"Nothin'," I reply with a nod and a kiss to his forehead. "You feel okay now?"

"Yeah," he says with a genuine smile. "Are you and Daddy still goin' on your date?"

"Yep. And you and Gramma are gonna make cookies!"

"Really?" he asks, his excitement infectious.

"Yep!" I reply.

Edward walks in then and winks at me. "Go get ready beautiful. It's almost four and we have a long ride ahead of us."

"Love you Mase," I say again before kissing his forehead.

"Love you Bella."

-o-

"Are you sure you're okay?" Edward asks again. A three hour ride with him to Seattle while he asks me the same question is going to take me from okay to pissed.

I roll my eyes. "Yes! I told you five times. Are we there yet?"

He lets out a small laugh. "Yeah, about twenty more minutes. But are you really okay Bella?"

I'm about to bitch him out, but I stop when I see the look on his face. He looks worried and tense. "Why do you keep asking me that Edward?"

"I-I want to make sure you're okay."

His little stutter reminds me of Masen and then it hits me. He's having the same thoughts Masen had. He's thinking that something so little and insignificant could make me leave them. I try to control my temper and look at it from his perspective, the same way I did with Masen. It's hard to do, knowing he's a grown man who should know better and trust me; but at the same time I know the damage Tanya left him with as well.

"You think I'm going to break up with you, don't you?"

His knuckles turn white as they tighten on the wheel. "No."

"Liar."

He hangs his head, sighs heavily, and then pulls over. "I know you wouldn't leave me because of_ this_, but it makes me think that-"

"Edward," I cut off whatever ridiculous thing he was about to say. "I will never leave you, okay? Unless you do something like cheat on me or treat me badly, and we both know you would never hurt me in anyway, right?" He nods and smiles a bit. "I'm in this for the long haul, Edward. I love you; I've never loved anyone as much as I love you."

"Really?" he asks with a boyish grin.

"I might love one person more than you."

He frowns. "Who?"

"Masen."

He grins. "I'm okay with that." He pulls back into traffic and thankfully the rest of the ride is spent in comfortable silence while I trace patters on his hand that's firmly clasped in mine on my lap.

-o-

When we arrive at the fancy restaurant, I instantly feel out of place. The royal blue knee length dress that Rose picked out for me made me feel beautiful at the house, but now? I don't know. Edward leans over and kisses my cheek. "You look stunning and I wouldn't want anyone else on my arm."

How does he do that? How does he know when I need reassurance? I don't know how, but I'm glad he does. I allow him to pull me closer to his body, relishing in the close proximity.

So far, the dinner has gone great. Well, we haven't actually had dinner yet; we're schmoozing. It's not as difficult as I thought it would be. The only hard part is remembering everyone's name and title. Marines don't like it when you don't address them properly.

I'm laughing at something Staff Sergeant Thompson says – a lovely man I just met – when I hear shrill laughter. Edward's head snaps around almost simultaneously with mine and in any other situation I'd have laughed.

This situation calls for no laughter. My anger spikes quickly and before I even realize where my feet are carrying me; I'm in Tanya's face.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" I bark out quietly, not wanting to cause a scene.

"I'm here for the kids, of course," she replies with a smirk.

I see red.

* * *

**A/N: Ah! Evil cliffie! Who else can't wait for them to go to court and give Tanya what she deserves? *raises hand* SO. Here's the deal. If you review, you'll get a teaser. Along with your review, tell me what you want your prize to be. It can be a teaser of chapter 19 or it can be an outtake of Esme's conversation with Edward. I'll wait a day for the reviews to come in and whichever has the most "votes" will be what you guys receive! Cool? Cool. Love you. xo**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Updating early cause I love yas. :D I'm so happy that everyone enjoyed their prize, even those of you who wanted a teaser instead of the outtake. :) Let's all have a SQUEE moment together! I know a lot of you are super excited about what that outtake means…we'll just have to see when and how that plays out, yes? :) Here's your new chapter, I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

Edward's behind me almost immediately, and I feel a bit better when his arms are securely around me from behind. I smirk at Tanya. _Seem familiar, bitch_? She glares at me and places her hands on her hips. "Why are you here Tanya?" Edward asks as his grip on my hips tightens. I mentally enjoy the fact that I can't get in the same bitch-stance as Tanya because _my _man's hands are on _me_, claiming me as his and showing pure support for me in this moment – against her.

"Like I said, I'm here to help the children," she says with the fakest smile I've ever fucking seen. Edward scoffs and I almost pout when he removes his hands from around me, but I don't, because he steps beside me and wraps his hand around mine. With my smile still in place, I listen and try not to roll my eyes while she continues her lies. "I don't want any trouble. I'm only here to support the cause. I want to help needy children and families have a great holiday, that's all."

"What about your _own _son?" I spit out with venom in my voice. "You want to help kids you don't even know while simultaneously treating Masen like he doesn't exist?" She acts like she doesn't even hear me speak and walks swiftly away. I watch her as she walks toward a table on the other side of the restaurant. My eyes nearly bug out of my head when I see her sit on James' lap. "That bitch," I seethe.

Edward follows my stare and stiffens beside me. I look up at him and see that he's in full frown mode. "Edward, baby, don't worry about her being here, okay? She's probably just trying to rile us up so she has some ammo for court. But _we_ have all the ammo." I haven't had a chance to show Edward our footage because Jessica has been too "preoccupied" with Mike and everyone's been so busy with the holidays.

He doesn't seem to relax at all, so I step in front of him and wrap my arms around his neck. "Babe." He looks down at me. "Stop. It's okay. Enjoy your night. I love you."

He gives me a small smile but it doesn't reach his eyes. My blood boils. Fucking Tanya and her mere presence is enough to make Edward completely miserable. I want to do nothing more than walk over to that table and punch her in the face, right after I kick James in the balls once or twice. I keep myself in check though, because I don't want to cause a scene. This is Edward's big night. If this all goes well, then he knows that he'll have no problem starting his organization and getting his first center up and running. Plus he actually wants to help the children and families that need it. Have I mentioned he's the sweetest lately?

I use my hand's position behind his neck to pull him down slightly. I pucker my lips, silently asking for a kiss and smile against his lips when he chuckles and complies. "Let's have a goodnight._ They_ don't exist."

He sighs heavily and leans his forehead against mine. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Okay baby."

-o-

The next hour is spent eating seriously delicious meals. It's not that rubbery food you pay for "either or" at dinner events and expect it to taste like ass, no matter what you choose. Each dish is delicious and looks lovely. I'm so proud of Edward for getting a big name place like Antonio's to sponsor his very first event. Looking around, I can see that everyone is laughing and enjoying their food and having a great time. Hopefully that enthusiasm and happiness will extend to their wallets when the time comes. The families Edward has told me about need all the help they can get.

A few minutes later, it's time for Edward to make his speech. He squeezes my hand almost to the point of pain when he's introduced and asked to come to the "stage." I kiss his cheek and whisper in his ear before he makes his way up to the podium they set up. "You'll be great. You're amazing and I love you."

-o-

"Hello," he mumbles before clearing his throat. "Hi," he tries again, sounding sexy and powerful this time. _Ung_. It's not helping that he's in his dress blues. He looks so fucking sexy. I cross my legs and try to quell down the desire I feel for my fuck-hot boyfriend enough to pay attention to the words coming out of his sexy mouth. "I'm so glad that all of you could make it. As some of you may know, my dream is to open centers that will help veterans who are returning home as well as the families who have anxiously been waiting for that return."

There's a round of applause which makes Edward smile.

"I want the center to be a type of community center where military families can find support. It will have many resources that I hope will help greatly. My main goal is to support the families who are left behind when their Marine is away and to help that Marine return home happy and healthy."

More applause. _Fuck_, I'm so proud of him.

"Today, I hope to help families who are struggling to provide a great Christmas and families who are having trouble with essentials. These families need our help and who better to help them than the brave men and women who serve their country and the brave families who support them?"

There's a resounding echo of "Oorah!" and a few "Semper Fi!" throughout the entire restaurant.

"We have prize packages that you can bid on, as well as a toy drop-off station at the back of the restaurant. If you're up to it, we have family packages which will describe a family and let you know what they need to make it through the holidays. Please see me or my girlfriend Bella," he points to me and I blush, "for more details on that. Thank you everyone. Enjoy your food, be generous, and remember; it's an open bar!"

Everyone claps and shouts as Edward finishes his speech. Guys slap him on the back and shake his hand as he makes his way back to me. "I'm so fucking proud of you baby," I whisper against his lips. I press my lips firmly to his, earning a few cat calls from the surrounding couples. "You're amazing."

"I couldn't do it without you."

-o-

"Where's Tanya?" Rosalie asks as she appears at our table. "I saw you square off against her." I'm surprised Rosalie didn't run right over and knock the bitch out, but I'm glad she didn't. "I wanted to knock her the fuck out but Esme held me back." I laugh as she pouts. Her words almost exactly match my thoughts.

Her question makes me look around the room for Tanya. "I don't know," I answer as I continue to look around the room. "They were over there." I point in the general direction of where they were seated and Rosalie stalks off toward it. "Shit," I mumble as I follow her. So much for not causing a scene. Where's Esme when you need her?

As I'm following Rosalie, I realize that I don't know where Edward is either. He said he was going to the bathroom…but…now that Rose has made me realize I don't know where James or Tanya is, I have a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I follow Rose toward the table that Tanya and James had sat at, but they're not there. "Fuck. Rose I have a bad feeling." She looks at me and nods before grabbing my hand and leading me toward the patio doors. "Where are we going?"

"I have a feeling too," is all she says as we gently make our way through the crowd. When she pushes open the door, my stomach drops as my eyes take in the scene.

"Edward! No!" He has James by the throat, up against a wall, ready to punch him directly in his face. "Don't do it baby, he's not worth it. This is what he wants. Okay?" I don't see Tanya in sight, which is a good thing, because I'd probably have her in the same damn position and I wouldn't be able to stop Edward.

"Remember what I said," Edward seethes through clenched teeth before letting James go and walking toward me. He grabs my hand tightly and pulls me through the doors. "Let's go."

"Where are we going?"

"Bathroom."

-o-

"Edward what is going-"

Edward's lips crash into mine, making my question die in my throat. I moan, grabbing his shoulders and squeezing them tightly. I hear a click and I guess its Edward locking the door, but I can't find it in me to care.

Suddenly, he lifts me up, palming my ass in the process and making me groan into his mouth. He sits me down on the marble counter top and slips his hand up under my dress. He gasps when he finds no barrier and his fingers slip along my soaked flesh. "Shit, Bella. No panties?"

I shake my head, grinning at him like the naughty bitch that I am.

"Why not?" The smug bastard has his signature mischievous smirk firmly in place.

I shrug. "I just would've made a mess, seeing you in your dress blues…shit Edward. You're too fucking sexy."

"Alec thinks I should wear them to the next court hearing. He thinks it'll help me win."

I nod, not really paying attention. _Shut up_, it's hard to concentrate when he looks this fine. It's been a problem all night, really, but with him pressing me up against a counter in a public bathroom…_damn_.

"Why were you so mad earlier?" he asks me suddenly.

"What?" I ask, confused.

"When you saw Tanya sit on James' lap. Why'd that piss you off?" he sounds a little pissed himself as he pushes my dress up my thighs, bunching it along my stomach. "Were you pissed that she was sitting on his lap? Were you jealous?"

His face from earlier creeps into my thoughts. He looked pissed, but I guessed it was just because they were here. He thought that I was jealous of Tanya being with James?

"No! Of course not."

"Are you sure?" he asks as he runs his index finger along the lips of my pussy. I whimper in response. "I'm sorry," he moves his finger away from my soaked folds. "I didn't hear that."

"Yes! I'm sure!"

"Oh…alright then." Edward's long fingers suddenly fill my pussy, making my jaw clench in order to keep a seriously whore-like moan from escaping my lips. We're at a charity benefit for children and families for fuck's sake!

His fingers pump in and out of me at a deliciously fast pace while his fingers rub the most intense circles against my swollen clit. "Do you like that?" His hot breath is at my ear.

"Mmm…yes…fuck…Edward…please," I whine.

"Please what baby?"

"Make me cum."

"Oh I plan on it." He laughs darkly, the sound shooting pure desire through my veins.

He curls his fingers upward, hitting the spot that makes me see fucking God. His free hand clamps around my mouth just as I let out a guttural groan. When he pulls his fingers out of my pussy and sucks on my juices it turns into a moan full of need all over again.

"So delicious," he purrs before kissing me, plunging his tongue into my mouth. Tasting myself on his tongue almost makes me cum again right there. "Do you know what else that perfect pussy is?" he asks against my lips. I shake my head. "It's _mine_ Bella."

-o-

The rest of the evening was uneventful – at least drama-wise. We ended up raising enough money to help out families who were struggling with bills during the holidays, paired each needy family up with a sponsor family who would help get the kid's specific presents they asked Santa for, and also raised enough money to give each needy family a little holiday care package with household items.

I've never seen Edward as happy as I've seen him this week. He's had a glow about him ever since the charity dinner. Even the upcoming court hearing – that is now postponed until after Christmas – can't bring him down.

Which is why I'm going to choose now to bring up our game plan; I gotta strike while the iron is hot, or in this case – while the boyfriend is happy.

"When are Jess and Alice going to be here?" Masen asks excitedly. "I wanna see them!"

"They'll be here in a few minutes baby." He grins up at me. He loves when I call him baby or any other nickname. "Can you go and get Daddy for me?"

He nods and runs off, almost skipping in his excitement.

"What's up?" Edward asks a minute later as he walks into the kitchen with Masen on his hip.

"I need you to get the grill ready." I know what you're thinking; grilling in December in Forks? Crazy! But it's actually a really mild day and we're all excited to take advantage of the rare rays of sun today.

"Okay babe," he says with a cute smirk on his lips. He places those delicious lips against mine, making Masen gag and us laugh before heading out into the backyard.

I hear my front door open followed quickly by arguing voices. Oh god, here we go.

"I'm just saying Jess," Rosalie's voice sounds exasperated, "Any vampire who sparkles and doesn't suck blood – is not a true vampire."

"What is a _true vampire_, Rosalie?"

"Tom Cruise, Interview with a Vampire – 'nuff said." There's a hint of finality in her voice and I hear Alice snicker.

"He was fuckin' hot in that," Alice comments.

"Yeah he was," Rose agrees. "But he has nothing on Brad Pitt. Fuck me please."

I turn around and see them all enter. Rosalie looks smug, Jessica looks pissed, and Alice looks completely entertained.

"Hey girls," I greet them with a grin. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Jessica mutters before storming toward the backyard.

"What's her problem?" Of course I know what her problem is, but it'll be ten times funnier to hear them explain it.

"Rosalie made fun of her sparkly vampires, so she's a little upset. I'm sure she'll be fine once Mike gets her, or when we show Edward the video – whichever comes first."

"I'd rather that come first," I say with a nod. "I don't want it to ruin the whole day."

"I think that's smart," Rosalie says as she grabs a few bowls. "Plus I need all this shit planned out because then we need to plan my man's homecoming party. By the way, are you sure you're okay with Edward and Masen staying here for a few days?" She waggles her eyebrows at me, making me giggle.

"Considering I've practically been living at your house for the past few weeks, I don't mind at all. Plus I don't think I'd be able to survive hearing you and Emmett in person. Overhearing your Skype sessions are enough – thank you."

She doesn't even blush; she just shrugs and heads into the backyard as well.

"So…playing house, huh?" Alice asks with a grin. I narrow my eyes at her. "Don't look at me like that. You know I practically lived with Jasper from the first day we met. I'm not judging you, just teasing."

"I'm worried," I admit.

"About what?" All teasing is gone from her tone, replaced instead with concern.

"I miss them when I'm not there. I miss them when I'm not around them. I just…fuck. What am I going to do when they move out of Rosalie's and find their own place? What if it's far from me? What if I can't just run back and forth?"

"Um, it's Forks. Nothing is too far."

"You know what I mean," I reply with an eye roll.

"There's a place really close that they could move into when the time comes," Alice says with a grin.

"Where?" I ask cautiously.

"Here," she says as she throws her arms out giggling. I scowl at her which makes her laugh harder.

-o-

I hate some of my friends sometimes.

Truly, I do.

First of all – I hate Jessica. Why do I hate Jessica? Because just as we're about to sit down and show Edward the footage we got so we can discuss a game plan, Mike shows up. I can't stand Mike and I don't trust him, so there's no way in fucking hell we're gonna do that shit in front of him. So instead of having my mind occupied how I'd planned – I'm left here to sit quietly and stew.

All of my thoughts keep going back to what Alice said.

When she mentioned Edward and Masen moving into my house it didn't surprise me – it's something I've thought about – a lot; way more than I'd ever admit to. I know I shouldn't be thinking about it at all, for a ton of good reasons. Edward and I haven't been together very long – definitely not long enough to combine households. Of course – there's also Masen to consider. If something were to go wrong and Edward and I broke up – it would devastate him so much more if we'd been living together. Not to mention the shit storm of gossip I'd have at school – not that I really care – but still. Oh and then there's the fact that he's still technically fucking married.

And that is why I hate Alice – because she woke up thoughts in my head that I'd finally put to sleep; sorta.

"You okay?" Rosalie asks me as she tugs on a strand of my hair. I give her a fake smile and a shrug, to which she narrows her eyes at. Damn, she's good. We haven't been friends for very long and she already knows me so well. I shouldn't be surprised, Edward is the same way. Maybe it's a Cullen thing. I wonder if I'll get more perceptive when I marry Edward. _Whoa_. What?

Of course Edward and I have talked about it a few times and we both know what we want but – it's too soon. I feel like that's become the slogan for my relationship with him – at least in my own head.

"Come on Bella. Help me get the drinks."

I follow Rose into my house and as soon as the door clicks shut behind me, she descends. "What's going on?" She crosses her arms over her chest and raises her chin at me. "And don't say "nothing" because I know _something_ is wrong."

I sigh and bite my lip. "Nothing really. I'm just…stressed." Her eyes soften slightly. "Alice said something that kinda just added to it, I guess."

"What did she say? I'll slap her for ya." I chuckle and Rose smiles. "But seriously, what'd she say?"

"We were just talking and she jokingly mentioned that Edward and Masen should just move in here."

Rosalie's eyes widen comically and she coughs on the sip of Pepsi she just attempted to swallow. "What? Seriously? You want that? I mean, I know you're practically already living at my house, but I didn't know you guys were that serious."

I frown. "Shit. I am practically living at your house, aren't I?" I hadn't even realized how Rose could feel about this. What if it pisses her off? "I…um…I won't stay over as much anymore. If it bothers you. That was actually really inconsiderate of us."

"No! That's not what I meant. I love having all of you there. It makes me less lonely when Emmett isn't there. Speaking of Emmett, why don't you use next week as a test run?"

"Huh?"

She rolls her eyes at me. I swear everyone is catching my bad habit. "When Emmett comes home and Masen and Edward are staying here, act like…I don't know – you live together. See how it all works out. If it works…I'd say go for it – if you both want that of course."

I consider her idea and give her a genuine smile. "Thanks Rose. You're like the awesome big sister I never got to have."

"Pft, I'd be a fuckawesome big sister. But since I can't, I guess I'll just have to be a fuckawesome sister-in-law one day." She winks at me and leaves me gaping in the middle of my kitchen.

It's official. I hate _all_ of my friends.

-o-

After making out with Jessica for ten minutes at the door (cue vomit), Mike finally leaves, which means we can get down to business.

"Masen okay?" I ask Edward as he sits down next to me. He smiles and nods. We're all gathered around the small fire pit that I never in a million years thought I'd ever use. I lean over, kissing the corner of his lips. He smiles at me before kissing me fully on the mouth. I let out a tiny moan that's interrupted by Rosalie's gagging. I stick my middle finger up to her and hear her chuckle while I continue to kiss my man.

"Bella, we have more important shit to get to," Jessica's voice interrupts my kissy-time now.

"We had important shit to get to when you made out with Mike for ten minutes too," I quip back. I know she's right though, so I regretfully pull back from Edward's scrumptious lips. "Alright," I sigh. "Let's get down to business."

Over the next half an hour, Edward watches the tape – his jaw tense the entire time, and then we come up with a plan of attack. We decide to give the tape to Edward's lawyer the following day and fill him in on "the plan" because it doesn't hurt to have someone who is an expert in law to approve of it as well.

For the rest of the night, Edward is tense. He doesn't talk much – only when someone directly asks him a question. All of his smiles are forced and don't reach his eyes. He doesn't even laugh when Twilight jumps up on Jasper's laugh, scaring the shit out of him and making him yelp like a little girl.

When everyone leaves, we check on Masen together. He's sleeping like a little angel, looking all kinds of adorable in his astronaut pajamas; his little body looking even smaller in the full sized bed of my guest room. I turn around and wrap my arms around Edward's neck. "Stay," I whisper against his shirt. He just nods in response before kissing the top of my head.

When we make it to my room, Edward strips down into his boxers, and I honestly try to quell the horniness that erupts in my body – but it's Edward. So I'm about as successful as Lindsay Lohan's most recent trip to rehab. I strip quickly, not stopping until I'm clad only in my tiny pair of polka dot bikini panties.

Edward's eyes roam my body hungrily as always, but there's a hint of sadness around his eyes that help ease the desire in me. When we climb under the covers, instead of attacking him and molesting like I had originally planned – I curl up against him and snuggle into his side. "What's wrong?" He's quiet and takes so long to answer that I almost thought he fell asleep.

"That woman in the video – Kate – I know her."

"Who is she?"

"She's a girl from high school."

"Oh."

"I uh…" He stops and his body tenses.

"Edward what is it?"

"I cheated on Tanya with her."

* * *

**A/N: Ah! Okay! Gimme your thoughts. I can't wait for 'em after that cliffie. Hehe :D I'm evil. Reviewers get an outtake of Edward's…erm…"conversation" with James. So does that make me…kinda…less evil? Lol. Love you girlies. Xo**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Edward has some explaining to do! Kind of important A/N at the bottom. xo**

* * *

"I'm sorry…what?"

I had to have misunderstood him, right? He did not just say that Kate – the woman who met up with Tanya at the bar – is also the woman who he happened to cheat on Tanya with? He cheated on Tanya. He _cheated_ on someone. The fact that Tanya is a bitch who deserves to rot in hell is beside the point.

So many thoughts are running through my mind all at once that I can't even think straight. With all the constant chatter of my own thoughts, I'm not surprised that I didn't hear what Edward said. He looks at me expectantly. "What?" I ask again.

He sighs heavily and runs a hand through his copper hair. "You know what I said Bella. I…I cheated on Tanya with Kate in high school."

"What does that even _mean_?" I ask harshly, pushing myself away from him. Hurt flashes across his features but I can't let myself care about that right now. "You need to explain yourself, _right now_." I leave no room for argument. Edward's eyes flash with his own anger and it only fuels my own even more. How dare _he_ be pissed at _me_?

"Are you seriously mad at me for this? It was years and years ago. Before I even knew you! I will explain myself, but you're already pissed and passing judgment on me."

I open my mouth only to close it without saying a word. Anger surges within me yet again and any semblance of being calm flies right out of the window. "_You lied to me_!"

He looks shocked by my outburst. "What are you talking about? When did I lie to you?"

"You told me that Tanya was the _only _person you'd been with. When we…you said…that she was the only one before me, like James was the only one before you. And you _cheated_, Edward? Don't you see how that would bother me?"

He closes his eyes and sighs again, rubbing them roughly. "I know what you're thinking right now Bella. I would never hurt you. Please tell me you know that."

"I do," I answer without any hesitation. My answer seems to make his shoulders less tense but he doesn't remove his hands from his eyes. "I just need you to explain Edward. Why did you lie?"

"I didn't lie. I just…what was I supposed to say, Bella? 'Hey, I know you're already dealing with the fact that I have a son and an ex-wife, but hey by the way, that ex-wife? Yeah I also cheated on her in high school. On top of that I have some PTSD issues as well. Wanna date me?' Come on Bella. I had so much shit stacked against me with you already, why would I add a mistake I made when I was a kid? And I didn't lie to you about it only being you and Tanya. I didn't fuck Kate."

His words have me reeling. "Then…what did you do?" All of my anger is gone and truly, I feel like an asshole. He's right; he didn't lie to me – not really. I get why he didn't bring it up. Why would he? He didn't think it'd actually come up. And I do trust Edward. I don't think I have the right to judge him on something he did in high school and I know I certainly can't sit here and say I don't trust him now, because I do. Plus, who am I to be mad at him for omitting a truth? When I basically lied - by keeping the Tanya thing from him - he just let it go with no issue.

"I made out with her at a party after a game. She uh…she told me that Tanya was upstairs fucking some guy. I went looking for her after that and I couldn't find her anywhere. I thought Kate was lying just to break me and Tanya up at first. She and Tanya were 'best friends' but they were always competing with each other. I think I was mostly just a prize to the two of them. Anyway," he shakes his head. "I couldn't find the dude either, which kind of sealed the deal for me right there. I took Kate upstairs and made out with her. Tanya walked in on us a few minutes later."

"Wow." What else can I say to that?

"The fucked up part is I don't know who set it up – Kate or Tanya. Either way, I was just a pawn in their game – the same as I am now." He laughs darkly. "I just don't…it's all…_fuck_!" He tugs at his hair. "What is Tanya trying to do? What more does she want from me? I know she wants my money but fuck, Bella. I just won't give in. I can't."

"Hey," I speak quietly, not wanting to startle him. I crawl across the bed until I'm straddling his lap. "I love you."

"Yeah?" he asks, looking like a hopeful little boy.

I have to smile at him. "Yeah, of course I do."

"I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for."

He smiles sadly at me. "Yes I do. It seems like all I'm ever doing is playing catch up here. I'm waiting for the day that you just give up on me."

"I'll never give up on you; as long as you don't give up on me…or us."

"Never baby," he says defiantly.

Letting all of my warring emotions take over, I crash my lips to his. He wraps his arms around my waist, squeezing my ass tightly and making me groan into his mouth. I'm suddenly really grateful that we're half naked already, because honestly? I need him now; right fucking _now_.

"Edward," I moan his name into his hair as his lips assault my neck deliciously. He grunts and squeezes my ass again. I swear it's his favorite part of my body. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Using his hands position, he begins rocking me back and forth over his erection. I gasp when the tip of his hard cock hits my already swollen clit. "Edward," I try to get his attention again. "We need to get naked. Now."

He chuckles against my skin and tugs my panties down when I raise myself up high enough. He wiggles out of his boxers, making me giggle. "What's so funny?" he asks with a smile. I shrug. "You don't know?" I shake my head. "Are you mute now? Because that would be fucking amazing."

"Hey!" I slap his chest.

"Ah, she _does_ speak." He has his smirk firmly in place and I just wanna kiss it right off of him, so I do.

I feel his erection brush against my bare thigh; which only makes me wetter. I reach between us and grab him firmly in my hand, pumping him slowly while I look directly into his eyes. Both of our breathing is heavy when I slide down onto his cock, and then, when he fills me fully, all breathing stops.

He feels so amazing when he's buried inside me. I can feel my eyes well up, but I'm not ashamed of the emotion. His hands come up to cradle my face and he holds me like I'm made of porcelain as he kisses me so gently and sweetly.

As our bodies move together, I let everything go. I don't think about the upcoming trial. I don't think about Kate or Tanya. I don't think about Edward's past. And when I finally let go and scream out his name as I come around him, I think that I don't give a fuck about any of that anyway. And when Edward grunts, moans, and groans out my name while he spills inside me, I know the only things I do give a fuck are my two guys, no matter what.

-o-

"I'm so fucking nervous."

I try not to giggle, but I've never seen Rosalie nervous, so a little one slips out. When she hears it, she gets pissed. I've seen Rosalie pissed plenty of times…but it's still kinda scary. Maybe because it's never been directed toward me? When she takes a step toward me, I automatically take one back. What?_ She's scary_!

"I'm sorry," I say sincerely, because I really didn't mean to laugh. I also am sorry because I know that she's really nervous about seeing Emmett today. But mostly? I'm sorry because I don't wanna get punched in the face. "You're going to be fine. Okay? He's missed you just as much as you've missed him and I'm sure he's probably more nervous than you are."

She gives me a disbelieving look but at takes a few deep breaths and seems to calm down a bit. "I just…I don't want him to be disappointed," she says quietly as she tugs on her dress.

"What? Why would he be disappointed?"

"I gained like, five pounds!"

Oh my fucking Lord.

"Seriously Rose? The man has been away for months upon months upon months. Do you think he's going to care or even notice that you gained a measly five pounds? You're the most gorgeous woman in the fucking world. He's going to attack you."

This makes her smile and bite her lip. "You think?"

"I know." Geez. It's crazy to see a gorgeous woman like Rosalie act insecure. If she's insecure looking the way she does, the rest of us are screwed. Just sayin'. "Rose you look so fucking hot." She seriously does. She's in this killer red skin tight strapless dress that hugs her perfect body…perfectly. She's even taller with the massive heels that scream "fuck me now" on her feet. And her face is model ready as always. "I promise all Emmett is going to be thinking is how lucky he is and how quickly he can get you alone and naked."

She tilts her head back and laughs. "Thanks Bella. Have I mentioned how much I love you lately? Edward better hold onto you or I'm gonna fuck him up."

I shake my head at her and giggle. "I'm not letting him go any time soon."

She smirks and looks away quickly and it makes me wonder what she's thinking. "What?" I ask and she shakes her head, still not looking at me. "Rosalieeee," I whine and she turns around and arches a brow. "Tell me."

"Tell you what? There's nothing to tell." She rolls her eyes and I know the subject is dropped. "Let's go get my man." See? Subject dropped.

I sigh but take her hand and walk with her down to the living room. Masen spots us and jumps up off of the couch and runs to me, hugging my legs tightly. "Bella!" He steps back and holds my hand. "You look beautiful!"

_Ugh_, so fucking precious, I swear.

"You look handsome." He grins up at me. "I think you're the most handsome guy I've ever seen." He looks fucking adorable in his little dress shirt with a cute little vest over it and a tiny pair of khakis.

"More handsome than Daddy?" he asks me looking mischievous just like his father.

"Definitely."

"Oh!" I turn around and see Edward standing on the bottom of the stairs. "You wound me woman," he says with a smile and a wink. He walks over and picks up Masen, who is giggling hysterically now. "You think he's cuter than me?" Edward asks.

I look him over. It takes a lot of fucking will power for me not to moan at just the sight of him. He's also in a pair of khakis and a button down shirt. His shirt is a forest green and he has the sleeves rolled up, showing off his muscular forearms. "Yep, he is." I wink at Masen.

"Well…" Edward trails off as he steps closer. "Who's the better kisser?" He looks at Masen and smirks. "You wanna test out your skills little man?" Masen nods eagerly and then…they both sweetly kiss a cheek. And I die a little bit from the cuteness overload. "Who's the winner?" Edward asks.

I sigh. "I'm sorry babe, but Masen wins again."

Edward pretends to be upset while Masen launches himself into my arms. "I'm the best!" he chants over and over while he hugs me tightly.

"Yes you are."

"What time is Emmett going to be here?" Edward asks Rosalie.

She pulls out her phone and checks the time. "Ten minutes." Her voice waivers and Edward gives her a hug, whispering something in her ear that makes her smile. She nods and steps back, rushing out into the backyard to make sure everything is perfect and everyone is quiet.

I've never seen so many people gathered back there before. From all of the Cullen family, to Rosalie's employees, and all of Emmett's friends – that backyard is full to its brim with people waiting to welcome Emmett home.

To be honest, I'm a little worried myself. I know how important Emmett is to Edward and Masen and I want him to like me; especially since he hated Tanya so much. As immature as it may be, I want him to like me better. Masen squirms out of my arms and runs after his Aunt. I know he wants to go and be the center of attention again. When I was upstairs with Rosalie all I heard from the backyard was everyone laughing at how funny and adorable he was being. He loved it.

"Edward?" I ask quietly as he looks at his own phone.

"Yeah babe?" he asks without looking up.

"Do you think Emmett is going to like me?"

I'm not sure if it was the question or the whiney tone of my voice – but his head snaps up and he walks over to me quickly. He grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze. "Of course he'll like you. Why are you so worried about that?" I shrug. "Bella." He says my name using that "you need to tell me right now" tone that always makes me cave. And I do. Of course.

"I know how much he hated Tanya and…I don't know. I don't want him to hate me."

Edward sighs and hugs me to his chest. "He's not going to hate you Bella. Who in their right mind could ever hate you? You're amazing. And you're nothing like Tanya. You have nothing to worry about."

Suddenly there's a beep and all of my nerves that Edward helped tame roar back to life when we peek out the window and see the Jeep parked outside. Shit. I think I'm as nervous as Rose is.

"I have to go warn Rose that he's here," I say quickly before breaking out of his grasp.

_Nice Bella! Good avoidance._

I tell the bitch in my head to shut up, even though she's kinda right. I ran out of there so I didn't have to meet him right away, that's true. But honestly, I didn't want Rose to be unprepared. We've gotten closer and closer since I've been dating Edward and I know how important it is that this goes off without a hitch.

"Rose!" I yell as soon as I'm outside. She looks at me and I smile. "Emmett's home."

-o-

Emmett Cullen is...interesting to say the least.

Looking at him, you'd think he was a real hardass. The man is as tall as Edward, easily towering over me by almost a foot. Saying he's muscular would be the biggest understatement ever. Put it this way - the guy has more muscles than the Hulk. I'm not kidding. All of that should intimidate me, but it doesn't. Why? Because when Emmett Cullen smiles at you - he has dimples. Dimples that belong on a little boy. Dimples that are covering his cheeks right now as he smiles down at me. He hugs me to him tightly, and when he pulls back, his smile is still in place. "You must be Bella. My brother told me you were gorgeous but goddamn, his words do not do you justice." I blush and mutter out a barely audible "Thank you."

"Plus," he continues. "You're not that whore Tanya, and that gives you some bonus points right there. I heard you hit that bitch. You're fucking great!" So yeah, I really like Emmett.

Emmett and I continued to talk for a while and then I mingled with everyone at the party. I met some more of Edward's family and they were all just as amazing as his parents and his brother. I could seriously get used to this family.

-o-

"Why aren't we staying here?" Masen asks Emmett with a frown. "You just got home Uncle Emmie. I missed you."

Could this kid get any fucking cuter? Uncle Emmie? Seriously?

"I know buddy," Emmett said. "How about this? Tomorrow morning, me and Auntie Rose will come and pick you up and take you to breakfast. And...if Daddy and Bella tell me you were a good boy, we'll go to the park too. How's that sound?"

I look over to Rose to see if she's upset about this change in plans. Rose has been planning nothing but a sex-filled week with her man. But when I look at Rose's face, she has the goofiest smile. She adores him, that's obvious. But I think right now? She's adoring him for a whole new reason. I'm thinking Rose has baby fever. Emmett's in trouble.

-o-

After giving Masen a bath, reading him a story, and putting him to sleep, I walk into my room feeling way more exhausted than I ever thought I would. Obviously, every time I slept at Edward's I helped with Masen, but I never did the whole routine alone. "Tired?" Edward asks me with a smirk. I just stick my tongue out at him. He laughs and opens his arms to me. I jump onto my bed and snuggle into them, loving how safe and content I feel with such a simple gesture. "I would have helped," Edward says quietly as he runs his pinky along my arm.

"I know," I yawn. "But we both know Masen wouldn't have let you." We both laugh. Masen was very determined that I was to be the only one to put him to bed. I had no problem with that at all. I loved spending quality time with him and taking care of him. I wanted to show him that I love and care about him all on his own - not just because of Edward. I guess I wanted to show Edward that too.

"Oh!" I yell suddenly, scaring the shit out of Edward. I giggle and apologize before getting out of bed. "I just remembered..." I trail off as I dig through my work bag. "I have Masen's letter to Santa in here somewhere."

"You brought them all home?"

"Yeah," I grin. "I told them that I'd send them to Santa. I'm giving them to parents at the Christmas Pageant. But I can give you Masen's now."

He sighs. "What does he want? A car?"

I giggle as I hop back onto my bed. "I don't know. I haven't looked at any of them yet."

I hand Edward his letter. He quickly unfolds it and the smile fades from his face as he reads it; well as he looks at it. We've done a lot of great work with writing names and small words, so when I wrote up the "Letter to Santa" paper, I told them to draw what they wanted if they couldn't write it.

He hands it to me with a small sad smile on his face.

I gasp when I look at it. There's only one thing drawn in the number one spot. It's a man, a woman, and a little boy. Under the man it says dad, under the little boy he wrote his name, but what makes the tears flow is what he wrote under the woman.

My voice cracks as I read it out loud. "Bella = Mom."

Edward pulls me close and hugs me tightly. I chuckle through my tears. "I guess that's why he wanted to know how to spell my name so badly." Edward laughs with me as I wipe away my tears. "God Edward, he is so sweet. I love him so much."

"I know you do babe. You know what I think you need?" he asks with a grin.

"What?"

"A full body massage." He waggles his eyebrows and I let out a big laugh at how silly he is. I know he's making the mood lighter; making me feel better, and I love him for it.

As Edward massages me, I can't help but think about Masen's letter.

My eyes snap open when I realize that's all I want for Christmas too. I just want to be with Edward and be there for Masen. I want us to be a family.

I know we won't be an official family by Christmas time. That's just not logical. But I do know that I'll be with Edward and Masen for the rest of my Christmases. I don't need a piece of paper to tell me they're my family. They already are. And that's what matters most.

* * *

**A/N: Hi! So...I had a laptop malfunction and it had to be sent out. It will take 2-4 weeks for me to get it back. :( Let's hope it's closer to 2 than 4. I'm at my friend's house writing and updating this right now. I won't be too late with updates, so still expect them every week. For those of you who read my drabble, I luckily had a bunch of chapters pre-written, so there won't be a delay in daily posting. Basically, my computer sucks, but I won't let you down! Next chapter is gonna be...interesting. :) We have Christmas and the court date! Dun dun dun. Please review. It'll make me feel better & all reviewers will get a teaser of chapter 21 on Saturday. You know you want it. :)**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Hey guys! First of all – I'm so sorry this is late! I had literally nowhere to write, because of my laptop situation. But guess what? Best Buy couldn't fix my laptop, so yesterday I got to pick out a new one! Thankfully I got to head to Best Buy before Nemo came swooping in to fuck our shit up here in Massachusetts. Woop woop! Windows 8 is seriously weird. It's gonna take me a while to get used to, lol. **

**FF has been a complete shit storm today; not just for me but also other authors. Apparently it sends out the new chapter email but when you go to the link it won't post or allow it to be viewed. Stressful! **

**Anyways – here's the new chapter that you guys have been **_**so **_**patient for.**

**(I'm hoping FF let's this actually post now. lol)**

* * *

"Okay, are you guys ready?"

My entire class nods their heads excitedly and I can't hold back the giggle that escapes. I'm sorry, but they look so fucking cute. I can't even stand it. They're wearing the cutest little elf costumes, complete with pointy ears and pointy shoes.

"Hold still!"

I turn around to see Alice wrestling with Eric.

"Only girls wear makeup," he whines, looking close to tears. I rush over, hoping to calm him down before actual water works appear.

"Eric," I say soothingly. "Guys wear makeup too, especially famous actors. You know Thor?" I know he does, because it's all he talked about after he watched it with his dad. He nods. "The actor who plays him? He wears makeup." Eric's eyes widen comically.

"Really?" he asks, disbelief clear in his tone.

"Yup. And this makeup is to make you look more like an elf. So it's okay."

He bites his lip and I know he's considering. Masen is suddenly at my side. "Eric look!" He shows off his own cheeks, complete with the exaggerated elf blush Alice created. "It's cool!"

All of his worries gone, Eric laughs and nods to Alice. "Do me next!"

Alice rolls her eyes but smiles while she helps him.

Ten minutes later, I'm a bundle of nerves. I don't know why, but I'm so nervous for my kids. I don't want them to mess up and be really embarrassed.

I feel a warm hand on my shoulder and smile as I turn around. The second I see who is behind me though, my smile falls. _What the fuck_?

"Nervous?" Riley asks me with a smile.

"Um…" I trail off, feeling super uncomfortable with the contact. "I…yeah, I'm kind of nervous."

He grins down at me and squeezes my shoulder, reminding me yet again how uncomfortable I feel with someone who isn't Edward touching me. Well, that's not entirely true. I don't care if Jake, Jasper, or Emmett touch me, but when they do it…it doesn't feel so weird.

When I look back at Riley and see him staring down my shirt, I realize why. They're like my brothers…Riley isn't. He just kind of...makes me feel weird now. He's not creepy...he's not a bad guy...he's just..._not Edward_. The fact that we went out on a date and I know that Riley wants more than friendship, combined with the fact that I haven't really seen him since; all that makes me feel extremely uncomfortable. And then a thought dawns on me that makes me even more uncomfortable – he doesn't know that I'm with Edward.

"Baby?" I turn around and see Edward staring at Riley's hand on me. His jaw clenches and he reaches us in three strides. _Shit_. "Is something wrong? Are you okay?" He grasps my hand and pulls me away from Riley gently. I see Riley frown as confusion covers his features. Awkwaaard.

"Bella?" Riley asks me.

"Um...Riley, this is Edward, my-"

"Boyfriend," Edward says in a voice much deeper than his normal tone. I barely resist rolling my eyes.

Riley's jaw clenches as he nods. "I see. It's nice to meet you Edward," he says in a tone that completely doesn't match his words.

"You too Roger." Edward grins back at him.

Tonight she would be fun.

_That was sarcasm_.

-o-

The night actually goes off without a hitch. The kids sang _Santa Claus is Coming to Town_ and all of the adults in attendance ate it up like I knew they would. When Edward saw Masen sing and dance, I swear to God the man had tears in his eyes; which made me have tears in my eyes, and by the time the curtain fell – we were both crying like babies.

"Aw c'mon Edward, you're embarrassing me. You're supposed to be tough, little brother."

"Shut the fuck up, Emmett," Edward growls under his breath. One second I think I'm going to have to break up a fight and the next Edward is laughing, leaving me completely baffled. "Look at you," Edward says through his laughter.

"What?" Emmett asks, looking confused.

Hell, I'm confused too.

"You were crying!" Edward accuses through his laughter.

"No I wasn't!"

"Yes you were. I can see the tear stains on your face!"

"Fuck you Edward. I'm a Marine. I don't cry."

"Baby," Rose says as she walks by us. "You were bawling your fucking eyes out. Now let's go get our nephew."

I can't help it. I can't hold it any longer. I let out huge unladylike snort while Edward let's out some very ladylike giggles.

"Fuck you both!" Emmett whisper-yells before running after his wife.

-o-

"Didja see me?"

"I did," Edward chuckles. "You were the best singer up there."

"Really?" Masen asks happily.

Edward nods. "Damn straight kid. Now, are you ready to go to the Christmas party?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!"

I'm smiling so fucking wide as I watch my two boys interact. So naturally, I'm really fucking pissed when my spying is interrupted.

"Bella?"

I turn around to face Riley.

"Hey Riley." I give him a small smile. I'm not trying to be a _total_ bitch. "What's up?"

He shrugs and gives me a small sad smile of his own. Shit. "Nothing much. Um…so…you're with uh…sorry what was his name?"

"Edward."

"Right. Uh. So you're with Edward now?"

"Yes." I hold my chin up high. I'm not embarrassed about being with Edward. Sure, I feel a little bad that Riley is obviously sad and uncomfortable, but it's not like I promised myself to him or something. We went out on one date and I let him know that I wasn't ready for more. I never promised that when I was ready to date it would be with him.

"You didn't call me."

It's a statement, not a question.

"No," I shake my head. "I didn't."

He sighs and smiles again, looking over my shoulder. I turn around to see what has his attention. Edward has Masen thrown over his shoulder and Masen is giggling as he tickles him. "Are you happy Bella?" he asks suddenly, breaking my trance.

"Yes." My answer is immediate and honest.

Riley shoves his hands in the front pockets of his jeans and blows out a breath, puffing out his cheeks. "I'm glad you're happy Bella. He better know how lucky he is though." His face is serious and I can't help but laugh a little.

"He treats me perfectly."

"Good. That's good. Well…have a great Christmas Bella."

"You too. Hey," I call as he walks away. He looks over his shoulder. "I'll see you around school after break?" He knows the double meaning of my question. Are we going to be okay? Or is this shit going to get awkward?

"Definitely."

As I watch him walk away, I feel Edward's arms wrap around me. "You okay?" I nod. "That was the douche that took you out, right?"

I turn around in his arms and smack his chest. "He is not a douche. He's a really nice guy." Edward rolls his eyes at me. "He is!" I protest. "I have very good taste in men." I bite my lip and smirk when I see Edward's eyes darken. "And my men taste very good."

"Men? As in plural?" Edward arches an eyebrow. "Rectify that woman."

I giggle-snort. Very attractive.

"My _man_," I whisper as I fist his button down. I pull his lips down to mine and kiss him slowly, gently, trying to remember our surroundings. I don't mind everyone at school knowing we're together now, but I'm definitely not going to mouth-fuck my boyfriend in front of my students and their parents.

"Fuck baby," Edward mutters against my lips. "I need you."

"You'll have me…later." He groans and I wink.

He's going to love his Christmas present.

-o-

"Bella! Oh, it's so good to see you!"

"You just saw her at the pageant Mom," Edward mutters as Esme pulls me away from him.

"Shush you!" Esme dismisses him with a wave of her hand as she drags me toward Rose's kitchen. "I only saw her in passing, she was busy during the show, and then _you_ hogged her!"

"She's my girlfriend!" Edward yells as we enter the kitchen. I can't help but giggle.

"She's my future daughter-in-law! So there!" My giggle dies in my throat, replaced with a weird wheezy choking sound. "Bella! Are you okay dear?" I nod as my eyes water. "Here, drink this."

I take the glass of water and chug it. "Better?" Esme asks me with a sweet motherly smile.

"Yeah," I croak out. I clear my throat. "Much better. Thank you." I decide to quickly change the subject, before she asks me why I had a choking fit and before I spill my guts about wanting nothing more to be her daughter-in-law. "Did you enjoy the show?"

"Oh yes! It was amazing. Masen was so adorable."

I grin. "Yeah he was. He stole the show."

"He sure did!" Esme flits around the kitchen, preparing snacks and drinks for everyone. "Charlie is coming, right?" Esme asks.

"Yep. Charlie will be here soon. He had to run back to the station after the pageant." Charlie left a deputy in charge at the station for a couple of hours just so he could attend Masen's show. It meant a lot to me. And to Edward. Looking at Esme's face, I can see that it meant a lot to her too. Not to mention Masen, who screamed for "Pop" when he saw my dad. Yeah, he started calling Charlie Pop. It's fucking cute to see my dad blush and smile each time. "Alice and Jess will be here too with their guys." I sip my water. "Jake might make an appearance." I shrug. "I'm not sure though. He said something about needing to be with Leah's family."

Esme nods as I rattle off the list of others showing up. Between my family and friends, Emmett and Edward's Marine buddies, Rose's friends and co-workers from the shop, Carlisle's friends from the hospital, and Esme's friends…Rose and Emmett's house is going to be packed.

It only made sense to hold the party here though. With the pageant getting over at seven, it would've been too late to have the party in Seattle. I think Esme is really considering a move to Forks. I think I'm really considering a move as well. Except I wouldn't be the one moving. I'd be the one getting new roommates.

I haven't been able to shake my conversation with Alice or with Rose for that matter. Both conversations have been on a loop in my head ever since. It didn't help that having Edward and Masen with me at my house was absolute fucking perfection.

I really hope Esme and Carlisle move to Forks. Everyone would love it.

I really hope Edward and Masen move into my house too.

But that's a secret I'm not willing to share…yet.

-o-

"I'm surprised to see you here," I say with a smile.

Jake shrugs. "I figured I had to make an appearance. I mean, what fuckin' kinda party would it be without me?"

"Not a party at all," I giggle as Jake envelopes me in a bear hug. "Where's Leah?"

"I think Jess and Ali kidnapped her." He looks worried. He should be.

I help Jake search the house until we find them. It's not a pretty sight. I cover my mouth to muffle my laughter as I take in the sight before me. Jess is currently doing a keg stand while both Leah and Alice each hold a leg. They're counting in…Spanish, I think, trying desperately to keep track of Jess' keg time.

"What the hell are you doing?" Jake asks in horror.

"We're playing a game baby!" Leah slurs. Holy shit. They've only been here for like, fifteen minutes.

"Wow," I mutter as I shake my head. "This is a record for Jess."

Jess has a talent and a habit of getting people as drunk as she is in no time flat. Suddenly she's no longer upside down. She's flat on her face on the ground, giggling up a storm. "Jesus Christ," I mutter as I make my way over to her. Leah and Alice aren't going to help her up, they're too busy pissing themselves laughing.

No, seriously.

Leah just pissed herself.

I see her run toward Jake, tears mixed with laughter. He glares at me and mouths, "We're gonna talk about this later," before ushering his girlfriend – sorry, _fiancé_ – back into the house. I point to my ring finger. "Oh yes we will!" That's right fucker. I saw that ring.

The look on Jake's face tells me that he won't be staying for the rest of the party. But that's okay. I'll track his ass down eventually.

-o-

"Did you have fun?" Edward whispers as he helps me undress. I bite my lip and nod. "You were amazing tonight Bella. Do you know that?" I shake my head. Edward smiles. "You were. You were so good with those kids. They did great because of you."

He leans down and presses his lips to mine. The kiss is gentle at first, but as always, it doesn't take very long for it to become heated and needy. "You're not very naked," I breathe as he breaks the kiss.

"Let me fix that, yeah?" he says with a smirk.

And then his clothes are gone.

And my hands are roaming.

Moans.

Whimpers.

Grunts.

And then Edward is on top of me, pressing me down into my bed. I love the way his weight feels on me. "Edward," I whimper out his name. "I need you."

"Are you going to scream for me baby?" he asks in a voice that sounds like liquid sex. All I can do is whimper as he teases my soaked pussy with the head of his cock. "Uh-uh Bella. You're going to have to be louder than that. We're all alone, and I'm taking full fucking advantage. Understood?"

"Oh fuck."

"That's it baby. Let go."

"Edward…" I moan out his name. "Fuck me."

"What was that?"

I grunt and wrap my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck. I try to pull him to me, but he's too fucking strong. "Fuck me!" I yell out, feeling beyond sexually frustrated now.

He chuckles and then…

Fuck! He's there. Filling me. Over and over again. I groan as his thick cock stretches me. "More, Edward, I need more."

"Fuck Bella. I'll give you everything." He slams his cock into me then, making me gasp and writhe beneath him. "You feel so…fucking good. Never…_unghh_…never enough."

I meet each of his thrusts.

Our bodies sliding together.

Our harsh breathing.

Moans.

Groans.

Gasps.

That's what fills my room as he continues to pound into me, driving me closer and closer to the edge.

He leans down and sucks a nipple into his mouth, nipping at it with his teeth.

And I feel it.

It's right there.

Just out of my reach.

I move my hand between us and rub my clit in rapid circles.

My breathing completely stops as my orgasm approaches and I squeeze my eyes shut tightly. "Look at me Bella," Edward grunts. "Look at me when you cum all over my cock."

And that does it.

My orgasm rockets through me. "Edwaaard! Fuck fuck fuck."

My body freezes before going practically limp, but Edward isn't having that.

"I'm not done with you yet baby."

He pulls out of me and in the sexiest voice ever, commands me to get on my hands and knees.

_Ungh_.

Dirty Edward has come out to play.

"I didn't like seeing his hand on you," he whispers into my ear.

I'm about to ask him what he's talking about, but that's when he shoves his cock deep inside me, causing me to do nothing more than moan.

"You're mine Bella. I don't care that he was only touching your shoulder." He bites said shoulder. "You are completely mine." I moan and nod my head as he continues to drill into my pussy from behind. I'm so much tighter this way, and I swear to fucking God I can feel every ridge of his cock as he pumps in and out of me.

"Yours," I choke out. "Always yours." Possessive Edward just might be my favorite thing ever. This is ten times hotter than the James fiasco, which is ridiculous because Riley just casually touched my shoulder. Well…and stared at my tits.

This seems to spur him on. He grabs a fistful of my hair and pulls me up into a kneeling position; my back to his stomach. The hand that was in my hair travels down my neck until he's cupping my tit and kneading it roughly. I groan and curse when he pinches my nipple. "That's right baby," he practically coos. "You're all mine. Especially this pretty pussy." His free hand rubs my clit hard, making me gasp and thrust my ass backward.

I snake my hand behind me, reaching up and grasping his hair firmly. I tug on it roughly. "And you're mind Edward Cullen. Every single inch of you. Especially your heart. And let's not forget your big, thick, cock."

He chokes out a moan and pushes me back down into my hands and knees position and…fucks me senseless.

I barely register his moan as he cums in long streams, filling me completely.

I'm too busy drowning in my second orgasm of the night.

Fuck. That one came out of nowhere.

-o-

Being woken up sucks.

Except when Edward Cullen is the one waking you up – in the form of slow wet kisses down your spine. "Mmm," I moan out. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Waking up my beautiful girlfriend."

"Why? I need rest."

He laughs at my whining.

"But I have your Christmas present. It's officially Christmas Eve."

"You're not supposed to give me my present until Christmas." Wait. Why the hell am I arguing? I want my present now!

"If you'd rather wait…" I can hear the smile in his voice. The smug bastard knows that I want it now.

"No!" I yell quickly, turning over to see his smiling face. "I want it now."

I notice his eyes lower and I roll my eyes in response. Is he seriously checking out my tits right now? I snap my fingers in front of his face. "Hello, Edward. Present?"

He licks his lips before looking up at my face. He doesn't even look embarrassed at being caught, he just smirks. "Right. I'll give you your present. But after that…" His look says it all and I can feel myself blush. Damn man and his sexy innuendo.

I take a deep breath and battle back my own lust. "Present please?" My voice sounds all breathy.

He pulls out a small box from behind his back and my breathing accelerates.

It's not a ring Bella.

Be serious.

He hands it to me with a nervous smile on his face.

I unwrap it eagerly and open the box with shaky fingers. My breathing hitches and my eyes well with tears.

In the box, is a small locket; it's already open and on display. Inside is a picture of Edward and Masen smiling cheekily at the camera. Silent tears are streaming down my face as I look at the picture and examine the small locket. It's so beautiful. I look up at Edward, and when I see the unshed tears in his own eyes…goddamnit. A whole new round starts for me.

Edward somehow battles back the tears to keep them from actually falling – I don't know how and I don't know why. He knows I like a man who cries – a man who isn't afraid of his feelings. I'm about to tell him so when he stops me, placing a finger over my lips. "Listen to me okay?" his voice is hoarse and emotional. I just nod against his finger, which makes him crack a smile. "The other side of the locket is empty." I nod again. "It's empty because the picture that needs to be there hasn't been taken yet. The picture that will go there will be of the three of us. Of a complete family."

Fucking hell. More tears. This man and his words, I swear.

"Yeah?" I ask in a voice too full of emotion to be recognized as my own.

"Yeah." He nods.

And then I kiss him – well, I attack him. Once I have him pinned beneath me, I kiss him senseless. Peppering tiny kisses all over his face that eventually lead to slow passionate kisses where our tongues battle for dominance. Edward reaches for my hand, removing the locket from it. The man must be some kind of magician, because at the same time that I feel him smile against my lips, I feel the coolness of the locket against my chest.

I pull back and look down at it. "It's…"

"Perfect," Edward finishes for me. "Like you."

-o-

"Santa is comin'!"

I chuckle and wipe my hands on the apron. "I know baby. Are you excited?" We've been making cookies for Santa ever since Esme dropped him off.

"Yeah!" Masen nods rapidly. "Daddy said I have to go to bed in this many hours," he holds up two fingers. "Because Santa is already out on his sleigh and if I'm not in bed he's gonna have to pass our house!" His eyes widen comically. "Bella…do you think that Santa will know that I'm at your house and not at Auntie Rosie's?"

"Of course he will buddy. Santa knows everything." I ruffle his hair and lift him up. "Ugh," I groan. "You're getting heavy."

"I'm a big boy, that's why!"

"I know." I smile at him.

He's so fucking cute. He looks so much like Edward it's scary; from the crazy penny colored hair to the bright emerald eyes – and let's not forget about the smirk. He's five and he already has the smirk planted on his face.

"Daddy gave you one of your presents," he says with that Cullen smirk. The smirk changes as I finger the locket. He's biting his lip as he quietly asks me, "Do you like it?"

I take both of his cheeks in my hands. "I love it Mase. It has the two most handsome men in my world inside of it. I get to look at them every day and carry them around right near my heart."

He gives me his sweet smile. "I want one too. I want a picture of you and Daddy. 'Cause I carry you guys in my heart all the time but I don't get to see it like you. Can I get one?"

_Shit_.

I'm gonna cry again.

Thankfully Edward chooses that moment to come and make an announcement. A very loud announcement. "Frosty is on!" This makes Masen squeal in delight and run for the living room. Edward approaches me with a concerned look on his face. "You okay, love?" Love. He started calling me that a few days ago. He doesn't use it too often, but when he does…shit. I just wanna jump him. I nod. "What's up?" he asks.

"Just Masen being his adorable self, making my ovaries and my heart argue over who is going to explode from his cuteness first."

Edward lets out a loud chuckle as he wraps his arms around me. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Guys! You're missing it! Hurry!"

And since we're both completely owned by that adorable little boy, we hurry into the living room to watch Frosty with him.

-o-

"This always made me sad when I was little," I whisper quietly to Edward, not wanting to wake Masen up. He only made it about ten minutes into the movie before he passed out.

"Why?"

I shrug, nuzzling my face into his neck. "I don't know. I always hated that Frosty had to leave."

"He'd melt if he didn't," Edward laughs. "He only left because it was best for the kids. Plus, he'll be back again someday," he sings out as he tickles my side. I let out a girlish squeal and giggle as he assaults my side with his fingers.

"Stop," I whisper-yell. "I'm gonna pee."

"Okay, okay." Thankfully he stops. I'll never admit how close I actually was to peeing my pants. Somehow, Masen slept through all of that. "Should we move him?"

Edward nods before getting up quietly and lifting Masen gently from his spot on the couch. He makes a face. "Jesus the way this boy sweats in his sleep." I giggle, because it's true. He sweats like he's in a sauna – even at school during naptime. "I'll meet you in your room, yeah?"

I shake my head. "I wanna come." This earns me Edward's crooked smile. I thread my hand with his free one as we walk up the stairs with Masen in his arm. "He's so freaking cute," I sigh as he snuggles down into the guest bed. "You make cute kids Cullen."

"Yeah?" he asks as he leans down and kisses Masen's forehead.

"Yep," I answer as I lean down to kiss Masen's cheek.

He smiles in his sleep, owning yet another piece of my heart with that small action.

When we're finally in bed – Edward in only boxers while I'm only wearing panties and one of his Marine Corps t-shirts – we snuggle close and talk. We talk about everything and nothing at the same time. This has been my favorite time of day over the past week and a half that I've spent with Edward and Masen in my house. It solidifies my present and helps with my nerves.

Edward falls asleep quickly but I don't. Instead I capitalize on his slumber, using this time to stare at him creepily. He's so fucking gorgeous. I don't think I've ever seen a more beautiful man in my entire life. His crazy unkempt strange colored hair, his beautiful green eyes, his long nose with the tiny bump along the bridge, his pouty lips – it all equals the most handsome face in existence.

I want this. I want him here. In my house. In my bed. In my heart. With me. Always.

When I look toward the alarm clock and see that it's now 12:03, I smile. Present time.

I work my way deeper under the covers as gently and as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake Edward…yet. Getting his boxers off of him isn't the easiest task, but luckily I'm able to pull them down his legs and throw them somewhere behind me.

I lay down in between his parted legs and run my hands up and down his muscular thighs, letting my nails scrape along his skin lightly. I smile when I see his dick twitch and watch in amazement as it begins to grow at my simple touch. I let the backs of my fingertips graze his balls, causing Edward to let out a sleepy groan. Placing my hands on his stomach, I lean down and let the tip of my tongue lick from his balls to the very tip of his cock. He's definitely sporting a semi now and when I reach the base of his cock with my tongue again, I let it slide lower until I'm licking and sucking his balls into my mouth.

This wakes him up.

"Fuck! What…how…unggghhh…baby…"

I lick my way back up his cock, swirling my tongue around the head before plunging my mouth down, taking in as much of him as I can. I wrap my hand around the base and pump him slowly as I suck roughly. "Shit Bella…can't fucking…oh god, yeah right fucking there."

After a few minutes, I feel his abs clench underneath my fingertips and I know he's close. I redouble my efforts, pumping faster and hallowing out my cheeks, trying to take in as much of him as I can. His entire body stiffens and when he fills my mouth in thick streams, I greedily swallow it all down.

"Fuckin' hell baby. What was that for?" he gasps out in between his labored breathing.

"It was part one of your Christmas present."

He chuckles and pulls me up until I'm nestled against his warm body. He kisses me sweetly and I swear I couldn't love him more in this moment. "What's part two?" He waggles his eyebrows.

"Move in with me."

* * *

**A/N: There is currently a little over two feet of snow here. It's freakin' crazy! Thankfully the power is back on, so I'm posting this while I can! Leave a review and you'll get a teaser from chapter 22 which **_**will**_** include the court drama! It didn't feel right to invade their cute Christmas with all of Tanya's bullshit, ya know? So yeah. Review and you'll receive that teaser in your inbox. You should also review because I'm currently bored out of my mind. :)**

**P.S: I promise there will no longer be delays! Thanks to my shiny new laptop. :)**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Ok! I was a total fail on sending out teasers. As some of you know, Massachusetts got slammed with three feet of snow. Here's how this past week has went: I woke up on Monday to a flat tire. Like, someone slashed my tire. Cool. I put a spare on and Tuesday – the spare is flat. Wednesday wasn't any better because my brother accidentally broke my glass kitchen table. Guess that's what I get for having a glass table in a house with teens, yeah? And then? I stepped on glass and cut my foot to top the night off. So! This has been the week from fucking hell. Lol.**

**ANYWAY! Sorry for the rant. Had to get it all out before I went nuts.**

**Here's the new chapter. Let's see Tanya get her ass handed to her, yeah? That'll make me feel loads better. :)**

* * *

Christmas seems like a distant memory. Sitting in this court room makes it hard to believe that it was only a week and a half ago. Thankfully, Masen is back in school. I took the day off because I wanted to be here for Edward and I know he needs me here – so here I am. Masen was a little worried this morning, going back to school after so many days off, and knowing that I wouldn't be there.

It doesn't help that the little boy is too smart for his own good and could definitely sense that _something_ wasn't right. He went off to school with Eric this morning feeling a little off and I truthfully can't wait to get this fuckery dealt with just so I can go home and make sure my little guy is all right.

"ALL RISE!" The bailiff bellows, making me jump slightly. That guy has a set of fucking lungs on him. I wonder if that's a requirement – having a voice that loud and powerful.

Esme grips one of my hands when the judge enters the courtroom. I look to my left and see Emmett gripping Rose's hand as well. I'm pretty sure it's not for comfort and more for restraint. Rose is glaring daggers at Tanya's back. I don't blame her. I want nothing more than to kick her skanky ass.

Instead of launching at Tanya like I want to – I grip Esme's hand in return. "It'll be okay," I whisper quietly. She nods, but I hear Carlisle's whimper. Poor guy. I'm sure she's crushing his hand.

"Case 40602, Cullen vs. Denali, your Honor."

The judge nods at the small brunette before pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Mr. Cullen," he nods to Edward. "Ms. Denali," he nods to the bitch as well. God, it's_ so_ great to hear him use her maiden name. I hate hearing Tanya Cullen. That whore does not deserve that last name or the amazing man attached to it.

"Hello your Honor." Edward is the first to respond with a respectful dip of his head.

"Hello Judge," Tanya purrs.

The judge takes off his glasses and gives her a small but meaningful glare. "You will refer to me as your Honor. Understood?"

Tanya looks like she wants to tell him to fuck off, but James grabs her elbow and she only nods in agreement like a good little puppy. Internally, I fist fucking pump. Bitch better know her place. You go Judge, I mean er, your Honor!

_He can't hear your thoughts, idiot_.

Right.

_Pay attention_.

"We are here because an agreement could not be reached with mediation, correct?"

"Yes your Honor," Alec answers as he pulls out a few manila folders from his expensive looking briefcase. "Ms. Denali and my client could not come to an agreement in regards to finances and also in regards to the validity of the prenuptial agreement. We are hoping to settle that in court today with your help so that this will finally be resolved and this trail will not have to go further."

The judge simply nods. "Proceed."

"My client believes that he is no longer financially responsible for Ms. Denali. Not only was there a prenuptial agreement signed by Ms. Denali herself, but that agreement became null and void by her own actions."

Tanya mutters something that I can't hear, but she doesn't get to repeat herself. James quickly shushes her. Jesus. It's like watching a father scold a bratty little girl. Which I guess is true – the bratty little girl part anyway.

"What did Ms. Denali do?" the judge asks.

"Ms. Denali cheated on my client, your Honor. She slept with another man for months while he was out of the country; while he was serving this fine country. The affair continued even after he returned home as well. She visited California under the pretense of visiting a "friend" several times until it all came to a head and she confessed to my client."

Alec walks back toward Edward and places a hand on his shoulder before he continues to speak to the judge.

"Ms. Denali violated the prenuptial agreement when she cheated on Mr. Cullen. The prenup should be completely null and void and my client should not have to give Ms. Denali a dime of his money in any form. He was willing to overlook it somewhat during the mediation, but that has since changed. He-"

"I didn't sign a fucking prenup!" Tanya screeches.

I don't look at Tanya during her outburst. I'm too busy staring at Edward. From my seat, I can see his clenched jaw, his balled fists, and his bouncing knee. I'm silently praying that he has the brains and the will power to keep his cool right now. Because if he doesn't…

I see him make a move to rise, but just as he's about to, the judge slams his gavel. "Ms. Denali! There will be no more outbursts from you. Are. We. Clear?" _Fuck_, I love this guy.

"Yes."

"Yes what?"

Shit! Did I mention I love him?

"Yes your Honor," she grits out.

"Mr. Cullen." He looks toward Edward and gives him a small smile. Hope blooms in my chest. "What are you asking for, Sir?"

I can see Edward shoulders rise and fall as he takes a few deep calming breaths. He stands and nods his head respectfully to the judge before speaking. "Your Honor," he takes another breath and looks quickly to me. I nod and smile. "All I want is to move on with my life. We've been legally separated and now I want to be legally divorced. What I went through with Tanya not only hurt me but it hurt my son as well. She wants nothing to do with him and everything to do with the money that will raise him and provide him with a solid future. I cannot and will not reward her for damaging my son by giving her money that is for his future. That just gives her a second chance to hurt him again."

I can't stop the tears from rolling down my cheeks.

The judge nods stiffly. "Is there anything else?" he asks Alec.

"Yes," Alec nods his head. "I have evidence to present to the court, your Honor." He walks toward the judge with two folders and two bags. "In this folder, you will see pictures of Ms. Denali with her lover." He puts the folder on the judge's bar. "In this folder you will see the original prenuptial agreement." He places the next folder on top. "In this bag, I have a video of Ms. Denali signing this prenuptial agreement. I'm not sure how she was unaware of the camera across from her. Maybe she was blinded by true love." I can almost see the smirk on his face.

"Watch yourself," the judge warns.

"Yes your Honor," Alec says before placing the final bag onto the table. "This next bag is a video of Ms. Denali speaking of ways in which she will make my sure my client never – ahem – fucks with her again. As well as making plans for her money that she'll win – all of which include a lovely house in the Hills for her and her lover." He looks over his shoulder at Tanya and James. "There are also some things that I'm sure no one would like repeated in this court room. But of course, your Honor, that is up to you."

The judge considers for a moment before speaking. "I'm going to watch this in chambers." He stands without another word.

"Court will recommence in fifteen minutes," the bailiff announces.

I'm a mess of nerves as we sit on the hard as fuck bench outside of the court room. "Breathe Bella," Edward whispers. I continue to bounce my knee and bite my nails. Alice is going to be so pissed at me for biting my nails, but fuck, I can't help it! "Bella…" Edward trails off as he runs his finger all along the palm of my hand. "I need you to relax baby. Think happy thoughts."

I give him a small smile. "Like what?"

"How about…us moving in together this weekend? That has to make you happy, right?"

And just like that, I'm relaxed.

My mind drifts from this anxiety-filled hallway and back to that night. The night that I asked Edward to move in with me.

"_Move in with me."_

_His brow furrows as he frowns. "What?"_

_Oh God, he's going to say no. Shit. That was so stupid. Are chicks supposed to ask guys to move in with them? Was he supposed to ask me? He doesn't have a house for us to move into. I mean…even if he found one, what would be the point when I have a fuckawesome house already? And it's right across the street! There's no easier way to move. Fuck. I don't know. What's the protocol here?_

"_Um…" What the fuck am I supposed to say here? "I said-"_

_I don't get to repeat myself because Edward's lips attack mine, making all speech impossible. "Mmm," I moan against his mouth. I fucking love the taste of his lips, they're the most delicious thing ever. "Edward," I gasp as he slides his fingers beneath my panties. "Oh god." His index finger runs along the length of my already soaked lips, making me impossible wetter. What? Sucking his cock is all the foreplay I need. It's like a slip n' slide in there whenever I'm in the vicinity of his dick. _

"_You want me to move in with you?"_

_He expects me to be able to form words right now?_

"_Y-Yes," I mumble. My eyes roll into the back of my head when he slips a finger inside me. "Oh, fuck."_

_A second finger is added and I grind up against them, needing more – always more. Knowing exactly what I need, Edward's thumb finds my clit, rubbing it roughly at a deliciously slow pace as he continues to fuck me with his fingers. _

"_Are you going to cum for me?" he asks in a rough voice full of emotions. _

"_Ungghh, fuck, more Edward." He curls his fingers, finding that spot that makes me writhe beneath him. He presses down on my clit before flicking it quickly. "Ah! Shit…I'm gonna…" _

"_Yes Bella. I'll move in with you. I love you baby."_

_And that does it. I'm trying to muffle my moans as I cum all over his magical fucking fingers. He smothers my moans with long but passionately slow kisses. The kisses turn lazy, slowly morphing from passionate to chaste until we're just panting against each other's mouths – sharing oxygen. _

"_You'll move in with me? Really?" I don't know how I can be shy right now, but I am. And nervous. I'm really fucking nervous. _

_Edward smiles down at me before kissing my forehead. "Yes," he answers against my skin. "On one condition…"_

"_What?" _

_He leans back and looks down at me with a smirk on his face. "Masen has to move in too."_

_I narrow my eyes at him. "Fucking duh!" I flick his forehead. _

"_Ow!"_

"Bella?"

"Earth to Bella."

"Huh?" Edward's chuckle fills my ears, finally bringing me out of my own thoughts. "I'm sorry," I mumble, feeling stupid.

"Don't be sorry. Share your thoughts." He waggles his eyebrows. "They seemed very interesting." He runs his thumb along my cheek to my chin. "You're blushing…and looking a little flushed."

I bite my lip and he groans. "I was just remembering early Christmas morning."

His eyes darken. "Yeah?"

"Mhm," I reply with a smirk on my face.

"Cullen!"

Ugh. Alec is such a cock blocker.

"It's time to go back in. The judge has reached a decision."

Shit. This is it.

-o-

"After reviewing all of the facts I have made a decision, today. Both parties previous to this court date chose for a judgment from me rather than a jury. I will make that judgment now." He clears his throat. "Ms. Denali," she stands, "It is by the order of this court that you receive nothing."

Tanya is about to speak or probably screech – but James tries to shush her. "Shut the fuck up, James! You didn't even try to help me! You still love that stupid bitch, don't you?" She points a finger toward me.

"Ms. Denali, you will hold your tongue in my court room, especially when I am speaking. And you will watch your language."

"FUCK YOU!"

Oh no she didn't!

The judge's gavel slams right before he bellows. "Ms. Denali one more word and I will hold you in contempt." He looks to James. "Control your client."

"Control me? He can't control me. No one can!"

"Bailiff, remove Ms. Denali from my court room." Tanya screams and curses the entire way to the door, and spits toward Edward when she's near him. It takes everything in me to not launch myself over the beam that separates the audience.

"Cunt," I hear Rose quietly sneer.

"Mr. Cullen, I apologize," the judge says solemnly. "You have been through a great deal and it is in this court's order that you will have your divorce and you will not pay a dime to your…" he hesitates and smirks, "ex-wife."

"Thank you your Honor," Edward says with a smile.

And then we're out in the hallway. Hugs and kisses everywhere.

Happiness. Joy. Freedom.

That's what I see in Edward's eyes as he approaches me. Right before he presses his lips against mine in a searing kiss that makes Emmett bow-chicka-wow-wow.

"Ahem."

I pull myself away from Edward reluctantly and glare over his shoulder at James.

"May I have a word with you?"

"No you may not." Edward's voice is rough with anger.

"Oh, he speaks for you now?" James asks in a sneer.

"No he doesn't," I answer with a smile. "He just knows that the last thing I want to do is talk to you. Isn't that right baby?"

Edward nods with a smile.

"Bella, please." His tone catches me off guard. I've never heard him speak in that tone. It sounds almost…desperate?

"Fine," I answer automatically intrigued.

"Bella-"

"It's okay Edward. I'll be right over there." I point to the end of the corridor. "I won't be out of your sight." I smile up at him before pecking his lips. His fingertips linger on mine as I walk away and I smile in contentment.

My smile fades as I walk away with James.

"What's up?"

"Um…" he rubs the back of his neck and looks down at the floor. "I uh…I need to talk to you." He finally looks up at me and I give him a "fucking duh" look. "Right. Um. I'm just gonna fuckin' say it, okay?"

"Okaaay," I nod slowly, feeling super fucking confused.

"I want you back."

I'm gaping like a fish, I know it, but what?

"What?" I ask stupidly. He raises an eyebrow at me. I just repeat myself. "What? What are you talking about, James?"

"I want you back Bella." He takes a deep breath. "I know that I was an asshole, okay? I know that. I treated you badly, but fuck Bella, I thought I was the shit. I thought you were lucky to be with me, not the other way around. Everyone at school…they fed that shit to me. So when uh, when that happened…"

"When you cheated on me with my friend?"

He looks down and nods. "Yeah. I fucked up. I know that now. I know that what I had with you…I know I'll never find better, because you are the best. Please Bella…just…" He blows out a breath and puts his hands on his hips, staring down at the floor. "You're the whole reason I'm here Bella. I moved up here and jumped at the chance of representing Tanya just because I heard your name. I was pissed that you found someone. It all clicked for me. You know?"

My heart is pounding and my ears are ringing. This is everything I've ever wanted. I always wanted him to beg for my forgiveness. I've always wanted him to grovel and beg me to take him back. I've had a few day dreams about this moment. About what I would do. Sometimes I'd smack him across the face and tell him to go to hell. Once or twice the hopeless romantic within me would kiss him senseless and declare that love concurs all.

But my reality is nothing like my past imagination.

"I'm sorry James." And I really am. "But I'm in love with Edward. He's the one for me. I'm not saying this to hurt you – but I want to thank you for treating me the way that you did. Because now? Now I know how I should be treated and what I deserve. And I deserve Edward." James opens his mouth only to close it. "We had our chance. You fucked that up. We weren't meant to be okay? It's time for us to go our separate ways. Permanently."

He swallows and nods before turning on his heel and walk swiftly down the corridor.

When I turn around, I see Edward smiling at me with his hands in his pockets. God, he's so fucking gorgeous. I walk over to him with a beaming smile plastered to my face. "Hey you."

"Hey there gorgeous. Where's blondie running off to?"

I shrug. "I don't really care."

"What did he want?"

"Me," I smirk when Edward growls. "But he can't have me."

"Yeah? Why's that?"

"Because I'm yours."

He kisses me, wrapping his arms around me and planting his hands firmly on my ass. "That's right," he mumbles against my lips. "All mine. And guess what?"

"What?" I gasp out. My voice is all high and breathy, but damn, the man can kiss.

"I'm all yours."

A few minutes later, when we're walking out of the court room hand in hand, I squeeze his and look up at him. "Yeah you are." I don't have to explain. He knows me and he knows what I'm referring to.

"Always yours babe."

-o-

"Ohh, fuck! Right there."

"There?"

He hits that magical little rough patch again and I feel my walls flutter around him suddenly, making me gasp and choke out a moan. "I'm gonna cum," I pant breathlessly.

Edward leans down, pressing his body onto mine as he kisses me hungrily. I wrap my legs tighter around his waist and meet him thrust for thrust. He threads his fingers with mine and presses our joined hands above my head. "Fuck," he grunts when my walls squeeze him tightly. "Keep that shit up and I'm gonna cum Bella." I squeeze him again. I love kegel exercises. "Shiiit," he moans before pounding his cock into me harder.

He lets go of one of my hands and snakes his own in between our bodies. He pinches my clit gently before rolling it in between his thumb and index finger, making me groan. "That's it baby. You're gonna cum for me, aren't you? I'm so close Bella. Cum for me baby."

His words. His cock. His fingers. All of it combines together, making me silently scream as I writhe beneath him and cum all around him.

He borrows his face into my neck as his thrusts become sloppy and erratic. I feel more than hear him grunt and groan against my skin before he stills, shoving his cock deep within me with one final rough thrust as he cums and fills me…and then he collapses on top of me.

"God," he breathes. "I think you killed me."

"You're killing me," I gasp. "Too heavy."

I try to move him but he won't budge. "Stop," he complains. "Too comfy."

I tickle his ribs, making him yelp and roll off of me.

"That was a girly yelp, Mr. Cullen."

"Shush you," he laughs before pulling me closer. Snuggle time. I love it.

"Victory sex is fun."

He laughs harder and kisses my temple. "It really is." He looks at his watch and sighs. "Ready to go get our little man?"

_Our_.

I smile up at him, trying to hold back the tears that want to escape. "Yeah," I croak out. Edward doesn't mention anything about the tears that finally escape. He just kisses them away.

"Let's go baby."

-o-

"You're happy."

I laugh as I ruffle Masen's hair.

"I am."

He squeezes my legs extra hard before making his way toward his dad.

"You too Daddy?"

"I'm very happy, buddy. No more sadness or worrying. Okay?"

Masen squints his eyes. I'm not sure if it's from the rare sunny day or because he's processing his father's words. Probably the latter, but the former has me squinting anyway.

"Okay," Masen finally says with a nod.

"How about we go to the park before we head home?"

"Yeah!"

That should be the perfect place to tell him about our plans.

-o-

"Hey Mase?"

"Yeah?"

I watch as ice cream dribbles down his chin.

"How do you feel about moving?"

"Where? Disney World?!" His eyes light up with excitement and after laughing my ass off, I quickly reassure him that we _are not_ moving to Disney World.

After pouting, he asks, "Then where?"

"To my house."

I shit you not, his eyes light up even more than they did for Disney and I'm feeling pretty fucking smug when he launches himself across the bench and onto my lap. I see Edward smiling from his spot under the tree, where he's lounging on the blanket we brought while simultaneously distracting me with his sexiness.

"Really? Me and Daddy are gonna live with you?"

"Yep."

"Wow! Wait…"

I arch an eyebrow at him. "What?"

"Does that mean you and Daddy are going to get married?"

"Um…" Shit.

He arches an eyebrow at me, but it's not intimidating. Because instead of his eyebrow arching, he just blinks rapidly.

"You don't need to be married to live together." Evade. Evade. Evade.

"Oh. Okay!"

Score.

"So will you be my Mommy?" He bites his lip and looks down at his swinging feet.

"Hey," I lift his chin. "Do you want me to be your Mommy?"

"Uh huh," he nods.

I smile down at him. "I think Daddy looks lonely. How about we continue our discussion on the blanket with him?"

Masen smiles and nods.

As we make our way over to Edward, my heart thumps wildly in my chest. He called Masen ours, and I know he thinks I'll be a great Mom one day. He even says that he thinks I'm the perfect Mom for Masen, but I just can't answer without including him.

"Daddy," Masen huffs as he plops down beside Edward. "When we live with Bella, will she be my Mommy?"

Edward's eyes widen and he looks quickly to me. I nod quickly, letting him know silently that I'm okay with it. Fuck, I'm more than okay with it. I want it more than anything.

"It does…if you want Bella to be your Mommy and she wants to be your Mommy. But you have to ask her like a gentleman." He winks at Masen who smiles brightly.

He stands up, only to bend down on one knee. He holds his ice cream out to me as he says, "Bella. I love you. I think you are the greatest. Will you be my Mommy?"

Oh fuck. The tears.

I swear shit that should make me huff and roll my eyes...when the Cullen men do it...I shed tears.

I take the ice cream and nod my head quickly. "Yes I'll be your Mommy."

"Yes! She said yes Daddy! I have a new Mommy!" He launches himself at me and I catch him easily, somehow not dropping the dripping ice cream. "I love you Bella," he whispers in a tone that I know isn't far from tears.

"I love you too baby."

-o-

"I'm exhausted," I whine as I plop down onto the couch.

Edward laughs as he sits down next to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. I lean my head on his shoulder and breathe him in. God, even after moving furniture all day he smells fantastic.

"Why are you so tired? You girls didn't move anything. Unless you're exhausted from all of the eating you did today."

"Excuse me?" I sit up and glare at him. "All the eating _we_ did? The girls and I made you boys a fantastic lunch, while also keeping Masen entertained so you could finish his room. And don't even get me started on how many boxes we unpacked."

"Okay, okay. You did a lot of work." He holds his arms open, and I wanna pretend to be mad at him, but his arms look so inviting. So, I cave, quickly climbing onto his lap and burrowing my face into his neck.

"Do you think Masen really likes his room?" I ask.

Edward chuckles. "I think he fuckin' loves it."

We went with a pirate theme, and when the guys were finally done and Masen saw it? He literally screamed.

"I don't think we're gonna get him out of there," Edward says with another laugh.

"Well…it could be a good thing that he's so busy in his room…" I trail off as I lick my lips.

Edward's eyes darken before he picks me up. "Let's go christen our new bed."

We got a new king sized bed put into my room – sorry, _our_ room.

And I plan on christening that bed and every other surface of the room that is now _ours_.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the super long and whiny note at the top...but I'm a tad bit stressed. Lol. Anyway! Please review. They make me smile. And you WILL get an EPOV of a very serious situation. ;) It's already written - wrote it today (Saturday). So I'll send it out either Sunday night or Monday morning, that way everyone has a chance to review. **

**Question: Do you think this is the end of Tanya or do you think there's ways she could creep back up? I'm curious. :) Leave me your thoughts. xo**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Thank you for all of your kind words about my shitty week. It means a lot to me – as do your reviews in general. They really do make me smile so much.**

* * *

Jessica snorts into her orange juice.

"What?" Alice asks.

"It's just funny."

I scrunch up my nose as I take a bite of bacon. "Uh…" I look at Alice and she shrugs, so I glare at Jess. "I'm sorry. You do realize that I just spent the last half an hour telling you all about the court date, right?"

"Yep," she says easily before popping a grape into her mouth. "And I found something hilarious in said story."

"Do tell. I'd love to hear which of Thursday's events you find hilarious." I cross my arms over my chest, ready to bitch her out if need be. I mean…we've practically spent the entire weekend together. They've been great helping Edward and I move in together. But that's what we've been doing – running around like chickens with their heads cut off – so I haven't had a chance for "girl talk"; a chance to tell them all about the fuckery that was that court date. Laughter was definitely not the first thing I was expecting.

"I just think it's hilarious," she snorts another giggle. "That Tanya's…" she's laughing so hard now that she can't even speak. She takes a deep breath and tries again. "That Tanya's ability to keep her mouth shut is just about as good as her ability to keep her legs shut."

There's a few seconds of stunned silence before all three of us break into hysterics.

"What's so funny?"

Edward's sleepy voice makes our laughter stop abruptly.

"Damn B," Jessica says as she fans herself.

"OW OW, take it off!" Alice shouts. I knew I shouldn't have let her near the mimosas.

My eyes widen when I see Edward's cheeks turn pink. He's blushing! He crosses his arms over his bare chest, and that's when I lose it. I bust out laughing, snorting more than once, but I can't stop. By the time I actually calm myself down, I have tears streaming down my face.

Edward's just staring at me.

Jessica and Alice are enjoying their own giggle fest.

Just then we all hear the front door open.

Two seconds later, Jake walks in. He takes in the scene, smirks, and removes his own shirt. "I didn't know Sunday Funday included a topless option!"

Jessica's eyes kind of glaze over as she stares at Jake's chest while Alice covers her eyes. "Make it stop!" she screams.

"S'goin' on?" Masen mumbles as he stumbles his way into the kitchen. He's adorably rubbing his eyes with both hands, and when he pulls them away, his eyes widen. "Wow! You have muscles like the Hulk!" he shouts happily as he points at Jake.

Jake kneels down in front of him and winks. "Can I tell you a secret?" Masen nods, his eyes wide. "I am the Hulk."

Masen gasps and turns around to face his father. "Is that true Daddy?"

Edward removes his narrowed eyes from Jake and looks at Masen. "No buddy. Jake is just kidding." He ruffles Masen's hair and walks toward the Keurig. Yeah, I introduced him to the dark side, much to Rosalie's annoyance. "He doesn't have enough muscles to be the Hulk anyway," I hear Edward mumble as he walks by me.

I get up and join him at the counter – which is thankfully far enough away for no one to hear my whisper-like tone. "Hey," I say softly as I run my hands up and down his bare back. "The Hulk is overrated. You can be my super hero any day." Edward laughs and shakes his head. "Can you please put a shirt on?" I ask before biting my lip.

He turns around and quirks an eyebrow at me. "Why?" He takes a sip of his coffee.

"Because baby. You're creating a very wet situation." His eyes widen and I watch in horny satisfaction as they darken with lust.

"You can't say shit like that Bella," he practically groans. He grabs my hips and pulls me against him. I have to swallow back the moan when I feel his hard cock against me. "See what you've done." He leans down and whispers in my ear. "Bad girl." And then he licks my earlobe before gently biting it.

I swear to fucking God, I almost cum.

"Let's…" my voice cracks and I have to clear it before trying again. "Let's go enjoy our first Sunday Funday."

"And we'll have Sexy Sunday when Masen is wiped out tonight," he whispers again before walking away laughing, leaving me in a pool of sexual frustration.

-o-

Sunday was amazing. We spent all day with our friends and family, ending with everyone having Sunday dinner at our house. My father was beaming the entire time, loving the fact that I'm so genuinely happy. It didn't hurt that Masen was still all over him and telling him how much he loved having a new grandpa.

Esme and Carlisle were in their own little happy bubble as well, and I caught Esme giving me a huge grin more than once. Even though we had just finished moving ourselves in, we'd be doing the same for them very soon. They'd finally found a house they loved in Forks, and it was coincidentally right down the street from my father.

Jess and Mike, Alice and Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett, Jake and Leah; all filled up our new dining table as well. It was so great to be surrounded by such great couples – now that I was in a great relationship. We all joked around and got along great throughout dinner. I pulled Jake away after and bitched him out for not talking to me about the whole engagement thing. He blushed the deepest red I've ever seen on his russet-colored skin as he explained he was afraid of what I would say, claiming he was nervous enough as it was. I smacked him and then congratulated him.

After everyone left, Edward, Masen, and myself enjoyed a quiet movie night in front of the TV, before going through Masen's bedtime ritual together. Once he was asleep, Edward made good on his Sexy Sunday promise.

"Ms. Swan?"

I'm taken out of my inappropriate memories by an unfamiliar voice. I look up and see a young man standing in my classroom doorway.

"Yes?" I ask with a look of confusion on my face.

"I have a delivery for you." He pulls out a bouquet of flowers behind his back.

I smile as I walk toward him, arms outstretched for the bouquet. He puts it gently down on the floor in between us before giving me a sheepish smile. "Sorry, could you sign for 'em first? I forgot before and my boss chewed me out."

I give him a smile and nod, signing his slip. He lifts up the gorgeous bouquet of roses and hands them to me. "Thank you so much," I gush as I smell the flowers. They smell so beautiful. I have the biggest grin on my face when I sit back down at my desk and pull the card from the arrangement carefully.

My smile falls when I read the card.

_I won't give up, no matter what._

It's not signed, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out who it's from.

James.

-o-

The following weeks pass by in a blur, and before I know it – it's the week before Valentine's Day. I'm not sure where the rest of January and half of February went as I look down at my teaching plan. I frown as I realize I don't have any of the necessary supplies for the Valentine's project that I wanted to do with the kids.

"Edward?" I call out, knowing he's sitting in the living room.

"Yeah babe?" he calls back.

"Could you come in here for a minute?"

A few seconds later, he's walking into the kitchen, scratching his stomach. I swear I drool a little bit as I eye the abs that I can see peeking out from underneath his t-shirt. He pulls his hand out of his shirt, making it fall, effectively ruining my ogling. I stick my tongue out at him when he chuckles. "What's up?"

"Can you pick Masen up tomorrow?"

I'd been taking him home every day after school. I decided I didn't give a fuck what anyone said anymore. This is Forks – a tiny town where everyone knows everything. It wasn't like I could really hide the fact that Edward and I live together. I talked to the principal and he couldn't have cared less about the fact that I'm dating, and living with, a student's father. I mean, I'm a kindergarten teacher. As long as there's no favoritism shown – which there never is – he doesn't give a shit. So far it's been the same for all of the parents as well. They know me well enough by now to know that I'm a fair teacher who loves each and every one of her students equally – at least within the classroom.

"Sure," he says with a shrug. "Why? You got a meeting?"

I shake my head. "No. I have to run to the crafts store. I don't have any of the supplies that I need for this Valentine's project I wanna do. How the hell is it already February?"

He laughs as he sits down next to me. "Where have you been?"

"I don't know. You distracted me."

He laughs harder and kisses my temple. "Is that all you needed?" I nod. "All right. I'm gonna go finish my email."

"Email?" I ask as I scribble in my planner.

"Yeah, I'm trying to get a construction company to help me out with something."

"With what?"

He scrunches his nose, making his handsome face look utterly adorable. I kiss his nose suddenly and he huffs. "What was that for?"

"For being so damn cute. So what do you need help with?"

"Can I tell you when it's a solid plan and not a passing idea?"

"Sure," I agree easily. I know how Edward works. He likes to have everything mapped out and set in stone before he talks about it at length.

"Love you," he mumbles against my lips as he kisses me.

"Love you too."

-o-

The next day, I'm walking into the small craft store – the only one in Forks, when I stop suddenly. I turn quickly to the right, but no one's there. I could've sworn I saw signature blonde hair…and it wasn't Rosalie's.

I shake off the uneasy feeling and walk into the store. I make my shopping excursion quick, not feeling too into after what – or _who_ - I think I saw. After grabbing everything I need, I make my way back to my car, shivering slightly. When I look around the dark parking lot, I know it isn't because of the chilly February day. I silently curse how early it gets dark and slide into my car, making sure to lock the doors. I don't notice the paper under my windshield wiper until I'm about to pull away.

An uneasy feeling comes over me when I reach for the door handle, and I make a decision. Instead of opening the door and getting the paper, I start the car and drive off. I don't touch the note until I'm in the safety of my driveway. I get out quickly and grab it, opening it with shaking hands.

_I won't give up, no matter what._

My stomach clenches and my heart begins beating wildly. What the fuck?

What I once thought was James…is now morphing to Tanya.

I don't know who is fucking with me, but one thing is clear – they_ are_ fucking with me. A sinking feeling settles within my stomach as I unsteadily make my way to the house. When I enter the front door and hear Masen and Edward laughing, I shove the second note into my purse where the first one has been. I'm not going to ruin our night together because of these stupid notes.

I'll tell Edward when the time is right.

-o-

"Does everyone have a slip of paper?" I ask the class.

They all nod and murmur out their own version of yes. Some even hold them up and wave them excitedly. They get extremely excited whenever we do a project. I love their enthusiasm.

Masen raises his hand. I nod to him. "What are we doin' with this paper Mo- Ms. Swan?" he blushes and bites his lip when he almost slips and calls me Mommy. I wink at him, letting him know that it's okay to make mistakes.

"Good job," I mouth to him before speaking up and answering him. "On each slip of paper, you have your secret Valentine's name. Does anyone know what Valentine's Day is about?"

A few kids raise their hands. "Yes, Derek?"

He purses his lips. "It's when Daddies take Mommies out and give them chocolates and kisses. My Mommy loves when Daddy does that stuff. Girls are gross though." He crosses his arms over his chest and pouts.

I can't help the giggle that escapes me. "Valentine's Day is all about love and friendship. We're going to have a Valentine's Day party. Everyone can go out and get Valentine cards for the whole class and fill them out, but during class, we're going to work on our projects for our secret Valentine too. So, when I call your row, come up and select your supplies so you can make your present."

Over the next two hours, the kids make their secret Valentine's present, while I shop online at Victoria's Secret for Edward's Valentine's Day present. I have a big grin on my face for the rest of the day that can't be removed. I know he's going to love it.

-o-

"You seem nervous."

I roll my eyes at Rosalie. "Why would I be nervous? It's just a date. We've gone on tons of dates." It's true. Edward and I have gone on weekly dates ever since we started living together. It gives us a chance to continue to get to know each other while also having "adult time" apart from Masen – not that I ever want to be away from him, but I know it's good for our relationship. Plus, I love those few uninterrupted hours where I have Edward all to myself. Who wouldn't? Have you seen that man?

"Yeah, you have. But tonight is Valentine's Day. It's a big deal, right?"

I huff. "Rosalie, Valentine's Day was created by Hallmark and chocolate companies. It's a day to spend unnecessary money."

"Wow, cynic much?"

I blush. "Sorry. I guess this is the first Valentine's Day where I'm actually excited. You're right. I'm fucking nervous."

She laughs as she curls the ends of my hair. "You don't have to be nervous. I was just teasing. You're going to have a great time."

Just then there's a knock at the bathroom door. "Come in!" I call over my shoulder. I see Esme's smiling face enter the bathroom through the mirror. "Hey Esme," I smile at her. "You're really early."

She bites her lip. "Sorry. I um, wanted to spend some time with you girls before Masen and I head out."

"Oh, of course! That'd be great."

Esme sits down on the closed toilet and sighs. "You look so gorgeous Bella."

I blush furiously under her gaze. "Thank you Esme."

"You're welcome honey. Are you excited?"

"Yeah," I nod. Rose narrows her eyes at me in the mirror. "Sorry!" I roll my eyes. "I'll stay still, Master."

"Good," she says with a smile. "She's super fucking nervous," Rose says with a smirk in Esme's direction.

"Oh, honey. You have no reason to be nervous. You're going to have a wonderful time with Edward. But if it makes you feel any better, he's just as nervous as you are."

"Really?" I ask, unable to keep the doubt out of my voice.

She laughs and nods. "Yes, he is."

"Okay, you're all done," Rose announces with a grin.

I stand up and smooth down the silky material of my red dress. "Are you sure this isn't too much?" I ask uncertainly.

Rose rolls her eyes. "It's perfect Bella. You look gorgeous." I take a deep breath and nod. I try to smile but I think it comes out as more of a grimace. "Will you please stop looking like you're going to your own funeral? Smile Bella!" I laugh and give her an overenthusiastic smile. "Better, but dial down the creepy."

As we're walking down the stairs, a thought occurs to me. "Esme, aren't you upset that you and Carlisle won't get to go out tonight?"

She waves me off. "It's unfortunate that Carlisle was needed at the hospital, but I'm very excited to go out with my date."

Just then, Masen walks into the living room. He's dressed in a pair of khakis along with a green button down with a black tie. He walks up to his grandmother and pulls a rose from behind his back. "Happy Valentine's Day! You look beautiful. Are you ready for our date?"

I swear to God, Esme blushes. "Yes honey. I'm so excited to be going out with such a handsome man."

Masen is all smiles as he hugs me and kisses me goodbye.

"Okay. I'm off. I need to go get ready for my man." Rose waggles her eyebrows. "You good?" I take another deep breath and nod. "Good luck. I love you." She hugs me tightly. I blink. That's the first time Rosalie has ever said that to me. When I pull back, I know I have tears in my eyes.

"I love you too."

-o-

When I'm alone and waiting for Edward to arrive – he got dressed at Rose's – I'm a nervous wreck. So when the doorbell rings, I literally jump. I hurry to the door and pull it open eagerly. When I set my sights on Edward, I gasp and try to not jump him.

He looks fucking gorgeous; black dress pants, a blue button down with the first few buttons opened, and the beautiful bouquet he's holding, all assault me at once, making me pretty much useless as I try to fight back the lust.

"Hello beautiful," he says in his silky voice.

"Hi," I reply almost shyly. "Are those for me?" I bite my lip and nod at the flowers.

Edward groans. "Don't do shit like that or we aren't leaving this house." He steps through the doorway and kisses me sweetly. I quickly deepen it, causing him to growl once more. "Bella…" his tone is full of warning.

"Okay, okay," I sigh. "Let me put these in water. You," I point to him, waving my finger up and down, "stay there. Otherwise I won't be held responsible for my actions."

He laughs but obeys me and fortunately or unfortunately – depending on how you see it, we're both seated in his car five minutes later.

After driving for about ten minutes, I frown, wondering where we're going. "Edward?"

"Yeah babe?"

"Where are we going? I thought we were staying local." Edward had said we were going to spend Valentine's Day here in Forks, not wanting to go too far, because Esme and Masen were staying at Rosalie and Emmett's seeing as how they were going to a hotel for the night. We loved our time alone, but we loved getting Masen back as soon as possible. Thankfully, Esme and Carlisle's house will be all set in about two weeks.

"Don't worry," he squeezes my hand. "We aren't going too far away."

We end up going to Port Angeles.

"Forks wasn't classy enough for you, huh?" I ask teasingly. "I'll have you know, I'm a very easy woman to please."

"Oh yeah?" Edward chuckles as he pulls over in front of what looks to be a construction site. "That's good to know." He gets out of the car and walks around to open my door for me. Safe to say I'm fucking confused when I get out and look at my surroundings. I don't see a restaurant in sight.

"Uh…Edward? I know I said I was easy to please, but…"

His laughter cuts me off. "Don't worry. It'll be great. I promise."

He starts leading me toward the construction site and I tense up. "This is how horror movies start."

He sighs and runs his hand through his hair, suddenly looking nervous – which doesn't help me with the whole horror movie thing. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes," I answer automatically.

"Come on then," he says as he tugs on my hand.

And of course I follow him.

-o-

My eyes practically bug out when we walk into the building. It's completely empty, of course, but that's not what I'm focusing on. What I'm focusing on is the fact that there are literally candles everywhere. Small ones, big ones, hanging ones, and huge standing ones – the list is endless. The only place that isn't covered in candles seems to be two small paths, leading in opposite directions, for us to walk through and the table in the middle of the room that is surrounded by – you guessed it – candles.

"Edward?"

"Do you like it?"

"I…I love it." And I do.

I have no idea why we're in what seems to be an abandoned building, but it looks so gorgeous. And I have to admit that I love having Edward all to myself, and I'm starting to really enjoy the fact that we're completely alone.

He leads me carefully through the candles and pulls out my chair. I sit down, feeling slightly overwhelmed as he pours me champagne. He hands me my glass with a wink. I blush. I feel extremely shy and girly because of all the effort he's put into tonight.

We don't talk much throughout dinner, which is the most delicious chicken parmesan I've ever tasted in my entire life. I'm not too worried about the whole no talking thing, because Edward and I never have to fill the silences with forced words. We're far too comfortable with each other for that.

After we eat, Edward stands and holds his hand out to me. I lace my fingers with his and smile up at him. He leads me quietly through the candles once more. "Where are we going?" I ask when I realize we're not heading in the same direction we entered.

"You'll see," is all he says.

I realize quickly, that when we first entered the building, it must have been the back entrance. Because when we exit the building, I see a beautiful lawn. Edward continues walking until we reach the street. When we stop, he turns around to face me.

"I want to tell you something."

"Okay."

He sighs and grabs my hips, turning me around until my back is pressed against him. I gasp when I see What's in front of the building. There's a beautiful sign that reads Help for Heroes.

"Edward," I breathe.

He wraps his arms around my waist and rests his chin on my shoulder. "I brought you here because I wanted you to be the first to see this place. I wanted to wait until it was fully completed, but I couldn't. I needed you to see it as a work in progress, Bella." He lets go of me and walks in front of me, slightly blocking my view of the building. "I'm a work in progress. _We_ are a work in progress. As much as I want this building to hurry the fuck up and be complete, there's one thing that I need to complete even more." I frown, not understanding what he's saying. And that's when he gets down on one knee. I would gasp, but I'd need oxygen for that. "Isabella Marie Swan, I love you more than I could ever say with words. I fully believe that you are my soul mate; that you are who I belong with. You are my best friend, my love, the perfect mother for my child; for _our_ child. Will you complete our family and be my wife?"

"I…"

* * *

**A/N: Oh my God. I'm so mean. I'm sorry. I promise there's a reason for the cliffie! Lol. I love you guys though. You know that, right? :) Reviewers are going to receive…MPOV. That's right. MasenPOV. You know you want it. I mean, seriously, he's fucking adorable. So make sure you review!**

**P.S: I'm posting my new story right after this, so if you'd like…go read it! And if you want to be super awesome, please leave a review there too. xo**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Man, some of you were upset with me, but most of you were more upset with Bella, haha. If you reviewed, you got MPOV, and I think that helped, right? If you didn't receive your MPOV, it was because you were not signed in. If you were signed in and reviewed and I somehow missed you, please let me know in your review for this chapter and you'll receive both prizes (MPOV and the prize for this chapter as well.)**

**As always – I love each and every one of you amazing babes.**

"I…I need to tell you something."

The hopeful smile disappears from Edward's face and I swear to God, I want to smack myself. I don't though, because I'm pretty sure hitting myself in the face along with _not_ giving him an answer to his proposal would make him reconsider completely.

"What do you need to tell me?" his voice is low, quiet, and almost robotic.

I want to crush myself to him and tell him over and over again how much I love him and want to marry him, but I need to get this off of my chest first.

Maybe you should've told him earlier.

I'm too busy silently telling my inner bitch to shut the fuck up. So of course that's when my conscious decides to blurt shit out. "Someone's following me." Edward's eyes widen and a look of confusion covers his features. "I don't know who, but I have a few ideas."

"What do you mean someone is_ following_ you?" He stands up, and I know it's irrational, but the second he's no longer down on one knee, I want to cry.

"Someone sent me flowers, and at first I thought they were from you, but the card was creepy and cryptic."

"What did it say?" His face shows me nothing but love and concern and it only makes me want to marry him even more. What if he doesn't want to marry me? What if he thinks that I'm not worth all of this trouble? Is this why I've kept it from him? Because I thought that it'd be the last straw? We've already gone through so much…

I take a deep breath and push those thoughts to the back of my mind.

"It said "I won't give up, no matter what", in my mind, it can only be two people."

"Tanya or James," he says with a frown.

I nod. "I'm sorry for…ruining your proposal." I bite my lower lip to keep from crying. "Could you…could you do it again?" I hold my breath, half expecting him to laugh at me and tell me to forge it.

So his reaction surprises me.

"Really?" he asks with a smile.

I nod, not trusting myself to speak.

He drops down onto one knee again and reaches for my hand. After lacing our fingers together, he takes a deep breath. "I'm so glad you told me about this, and now I know why you hesitated. You didn't want to keep anything from me right?" I nod. "The fact that you stopped me to tell me that…that only makes me want to marry you even more, Bella. We're a fuckin' amazing team – we've shown that time and time again, and this proposal – even as unorthodox as it may be, proves that as well. Whatever is going on and whoever is doing this – we'll handle it together. Just like everything else from now on…if you'll be my wife."

I drop down to my knees in front of him and place my free hand on his cheek. "Edward," I practically choke out his name, unable to speak properly around the emotional lump in my throat. "I love you so much. You have no idea how much I want to marry you."

Relief floods his face, followed by the most blinding smile I've ever seen spread across his handsome features. "You'll really marry me?" he asks hopefully.

I'm sure my own smile is just as big – if not bigger, than his. "I_ really_ want to marry you."

"Fuck Bella," he mutters. He places both of his hands on my face and I hum in contentment at the familiar sensation of his calloused fingers. His eyes dart from my own down to my lips and back again. "You…fuck, you're everything." And then he crashes his lips against mine, almost painfully. I whimper as one of his hands slides down and settles on my waist, pulling me closer to him. "God, I need to get you home."

I grunt in protest and shake my head, making him chuckle and pull back. "I only want to get you home so I can fuck my fiancé."

Oh god. If I had panties on, they'd be destroyed right now. However, the situation between my legs is nearing embarrassing levels. I swear to God, my thighs are slick from how turned on I am. "Do you still have the picnic stuff in the car?" I ask hopefully.

His brow furrows before his eyes brighten. "Yes! I only took out the dirty dishes. I left the blanket and the basket."

Normally I'd roll my eyes at his laziness and procrastination, but right now, I could kiss him senseless. So I do.

After a few minutes, my knees start hurting. That's what happens when you kneel on concrete in a dress. Edward must sense my distress, because suddenly he opens his eyes and I see instantly that they're full of concern. "Shit. I'm an asshole. Stand up." I do as he says and he lovingly caresses my sore knees before placing a gentle kiss to each. "Sorry. Come on."

Before I can say that an apology is totally not necessary, he's pulling me back toward the building. "Stay here. I'll be right back." He runs through the candles – that are still burning brightly – and disappears out of the room. I take the time to really look around the huge room while Edward's gone, trying to imagine what the final product will look like.

When Edward clears his throat, I jump, not realizing that he returned. "Shit. You scared me!" I slap his chest and give him a shove, which doesn't move him at all.

He just gives me his adorable little boy smile and shrugs. "Sorry." He leans in and kisses me sweetly, but deeply, making me melt easily.

I sigh when he pulls back. "You're forgiven."

When he starts moving the table carefully through the candles toward the other side of the room, I frown in confusion. "What are you-" And then it dawns on me, so I shut up and let him focus on his task.

Once the table and chairs are out of the way, he unfolds the thick comforter and lays it down easily, trying not to blow out any candles. When Edward turns to face me, his smile is almost shy, which I have to admit, only turns me on more. After kicking off his shoes, he holds out his hand and leads me toward the blanket. I kick off my own, giggling when he plops down and yanks me on top of him.

"I love you," he says sweetly before peppering kisses all over my face. "I love you so fucking much."

Using my position of sitting in his lap – I push on his chest, making him lay back. He happily complies, placing his hands behind his head and smiling up at me. In that second, my eyes widen, because reality hits me hard.

This gorgeous man is all mine – forever.

And…that's when I attack him.

I launch myself at him, our bodies aligning as I lie across him. My fingers quickly find his hair and his hands quickly find my ass as we kiss hungrily. Our frantic kisses turn slow and passionate as I sit up slightly until I'm straddling his lap.

No words are exchanged as he runs his hands up and down my thighs. The only sound in the room is my pounding heart as he pushes my dress up my hips. He groans when he realizes I'm not wearing panties and I grin when he grabs my tits roughly once my dress is off completely. "You're a fucking tease," he says with a sexy smile.

I shake my head. "It's not teasing if you plan to follow through." And then I start working on the buttons of his shirt. Shirts have way too many buttons, by the way. Edward finally stops smirking and speaks as I push his shirt down his shoulders.

"Do you plan on following through?"

He helpfully removes his arms from the shirt and I completely forget to answer as my eyes feast on his sculpted chest and defined abs. _Gah!_ It doesn't matter how many times I see this man without a shirt on, I will always be rendered stupid.

"Bellaaa," Edward sings out my name, his smirk firmly planted back on his handsome face.

"I'm gonna follow through," I smile. "I'm gonna follow through _soo_ good." I swivel my hips against his jean-clad erection, eliciting a growl from Edward.

I squeak when Edward flips us over, spreads my legs, and presses said erection against me. The roughness of his jeans against my sensitive flesh almost makes m cum right then and there. "Take them off." My voice is pleading and slightly pathetic but when Edward grins and thrusts against me, I realize that I really don't care.

Realizing that all he plans on doing right now is teasing me, I decide to take matters into my own hands – literally. I reach between our bodies and unbutton his pants, quickly slipping my hand into them, and his boxers. Edward opens his mouth, probably to protest because I ruined his fun, but when my hand wraps around his hard cock, all that escapes his lips is a guttural moan.

I pump him slowly, making sure to squeeze him tightly, and I smile internally when he begins panting against my forehead. "Bella…God…that feels so fucking good."

"Edward, baby…I need…"

"What Bella? What do you need, love?"

"I need you to make love to me." I can feel myself blush, but I refuse to break eye contact.

Edward smiles so sweetly at me as he nods. I push his pants and boxers down his hips as far as I can in this position, and Edward finishes the job by kicking them off completely. He places his hands on the comforter, on either side of my head and stares down at me.

Normally I'd feel uncomfortable by such an intense stare, but this is Edward, and all I see in his eyes is love and trust. I know he sees the same. "I love you so fucking much." His voice is hoarse, so he clears his throat before continuing. "I never thought I'd have this."

I'm about to respond, but that's when Edward decides to push into me. In one swift, hard thrust, his long, thick, hard cock fills me completely. I wrap my arms around his neck and bury my fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck, scratching lightly as I move up further to grab the mess on top. I grip his hair tightly as I take a few deep breaths, adjusting to the feeling that Edward always gives me; being completely filled – physically and emotionally. It's almost too much.

"Perfect," Edward murmurs as he begins moving; slowly, so torturously slow.

"You're perfect," I whisper. I don't want to speak louder, fearing for some reason that it will break the weird spell I feel like I'm in right now.

Edward shakes his head before pressing his forehead against mine. "No, _we_ are perfect."

I nod my agreement, not able to form a coherent sentence because of the battling emotions running through me right now. Edward picks up his pace, making conversation impossible anyway. The only sounds that fill the room are a mixture of our breathing and our bodies meeting.

Edward's thrusts are slow and hard at the same time. He pulls out of me slowly – almost completely – before ramming his hard cock back inside my soaked pussy…over and over and over again, until I feel like I'm going to burst into fucking flames. "Oh my God, oh my God," I chant over and over as he continues his rhythm.

"Are you gonna cum baby?" he asks me breathlessly. I respond with a nod and a swivel of my hips. "Oh fuck, do that again." I grin and comply, making Edward's eyes practically cross. "So tight. Jesus Christ."

I reach between our bodies and quickly find my clit, rubbing roughly as Edward pounds in and out of me relentlessly now. It's no longer sweet and slow – it's rough and fast as we both approach our release.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Edward suddenly screams as he shoves his cock in my pussy one final time. I literally feel him swell and release into me – that, combined with my own ministrations – pushes me over the edge suddenly.

I cry out and wrap my legs tightly around Edward's hips as I shamelessly grind up, riding out my high.

"Jesus Christ." I'm panting now, feeling unbelievably spent. I'm pretty sure Edward's going to have to carry me. Seriously, I don't even think I can walk.

"You don't think you can walk huh?" Edward lifts his head and smirks at me. I blush. I thought my brain-to-mouth filter was no longer faulty, but I guess he fucked the fix right out of me. "Don't worry baby," he kisses my lips, "I'll carry you."

I can tell he's being all "macho man". Making your fiancé unable to walk is something every guy wants to do in his life, I'm sure. So instead of bursting his bubble, I just smile and kiss him again. I'd kiss him forever if I could.

"I don't know if I can carry you," Edward suddenly says before burrowing his face back into my hair. "We should just stay here."

I laugh and wiggle beneath him. "As much as I'd love to lay here and let you crush me," I try to push him off and am of course – unsuccessful. "We need to get our little guy. And I need to show up for work tomorrow looking presentable."

Edward sighs and lifts himself off of me, wincing as he does so. "I know."

"If you give me a piggyback ride, I'll reward you when we get home."

"Oh yeah?" he asks as he stands up and begins collecting our clothes. "What kind of reward?" He looks over his shoulder and smirks at me. I swear he knows how sexy he is and uses it to his full advantage.

I lick my lips, not hiding the fact that I'm ogling his still-naked body, specifically his cock. "The kind where my tongue is involved." That's all I say. I don't elaborate more; but I swear his cock twitches.

"Well what are you waiting for?" Edward says. "Get dressed! We gotta get home."

It takes me longer to dress because I'm laughing way too hard to focus.

-o-

"Didja have fun? Huh?" Masen asks excitedly as he simultaneously tries to pull off my gloves. I laugh and shake my head, knowing full well what he's trying to do – he's trying to see the evidence on my finger. I laugh ever harder when I see the curiosity on Esme's face.

"Esme," I wave my gloved left hand purposefully in front of her face. "Are you okay?"

"Hm?" She blinks. "Oh! Yes, of course honey. Did you have a nice time?" She takes my hand and squeezes it, suddenly smiling brightly at me when her fingers brush against my ring.

"I had an amazing time," I answer honestly before hugging her tightly.

"Congratulations," she whispers. "I can't wait to have you as my daughter."

When we pull apart, my eyes are brimming with tears.

"Thank you," I choke out.

"Why are you crying Bella?" I turn to face Masen and see that his eyes wide and are filling with tears of his own. Before I can ask what's wrong, he whips around and pokes Edward in the stomach. "What did you do to her Daddy! I told you that you had to be a gentleman! Did she say no?" He points frantically at Edward's chest. "You didn't wear a tie! That's why she said no! And now I'm never gonna have a real Mommy. She's just gonna be pretend."

He runs from the room and my heart practically breaks when I hear his bedroom door slam.

Edward's eyes are wide and panicked as he looks at me. "What…"

"I don't know." I shake my head. I blow out a breath. "I'm gonna go talk to him, okay? And I'm gonna tell him the news. Unless you wanna wait?"

"No," he says. "Just…talk to him. Make him feel better, all right? The two of you can come and find me when you're done." He leans in and kisses me sweetly. I give him a small smile when I pull back.

I really want to jump up and down and scream for joy because Edward is trusting me so implicitly with this, but I don't. Instead I quickly make my way upstairs where I knock gently on Masen's door.

"Yeah?" His little voice sounds hoarse from crying.

"Can I come in Mase?"

"Okay."

I want to cry when I see him curled into a ball on his bed. I sit down next to him and gently rub his back. He eventually raises his head from the pillow and I frown when I see his red eyes and tear-stained face.

"Baby, what's wrong?"

He sniffles and wipes his nose with the back of his sleeve. "Nothin'."

"Are you lying?"

His eyes widen before he looks down at his fingers, which are suddenly very interesting as he fiddles with them. "Yeah. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Can you tell me what's wrong? The truth this time?"

"Okay. Can I…sit on your lap?" The worry in his tone makes me frown again. I don't understand why he's being so shy and uncertain around me. What the hell happened?

"Of course you can," I open my arms. "Come here handsome."

He practically leaps into my lap, snuggling against my chest and wrapping his arms around my neck. "Derek said that you're not my real Mommy. He said just 'cause you're my Daddy's girlfriend and we live in the same place doesn't mean you're my real Mommy. He said you're only my 'tend one and I want you to be my real one. I told Daddy he had to be really nice to you and look nice. Why did you say no Bella?" He pulls his head from my chest and looks up at me with the most heart-broken expression I've ever seen. "Don't you wanna be my Mommy for real?"

It takes me a few seconds to control the almost overwhelming urge to cry and to regulate my breathing. "Masen…" I trail off as I remove him from my lap and place him on his bed. I hike up my dress a few inches so I can kneel down in front of him. I place my hands on either side of his cute little face. "I love you. I want nothing more than to be your Mommy. You know that your Daddy and I don't have to be married for me to be your real Mommy, right?"

He just shrugs. "I just want you guys to be married."

"Well, guess what?"

"What?"

I put my left hand in front of his face. He looks confused for a few seconds and I smile as I wait for it to register with him. His eyes widen suddenly and he grabs my hand. "You have grandma's mommy's ring! It's so pretty, like you are." He blushes and smiles at me. "You said yes? You're gonna marry Daddy?"

"Yep."

He launches himself at me and hugs me tightly, almost tipping me over in the process. "I love you so much. You're gonna be the bestest Mommy ever!"

-o-

"I'm so glad you came to me with this," Alec says with a smile when I finish my story. "We'll handle this as a team. I think the first thing we should do is bring the notes to the police station and file a report. I'm not sure that they'll do anything right now, because there isn't evidence and there really isn't a crime involved…yet; but having it documented will help us in the long run if anything does happen."

As soon as Alec finishes speaking, I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Edward suggested that we should stop by and see him to tell him what's been going on. At first, I didn't want to, because it's not like anything illegal has happened. James or Tanya are being smart. They know what they're doing.

I squeeze Edward's hand and nod. "Right."

"Do you really think this is Tanya or James? Is there anyone else who could be doing this?"

I shake my head. "I don't have any enemies. The only people that I know who openly hate me are those two. And I mean…why else would anyone do that? I'm a school teacher, I mind my own business, and I'm nice and polite to everyone. I don't have any other enemies."

Alec nods and rubs his chin.

"It has to be either Tanya or James," Edward says as he leans forward and places his elbows on his knees. I frown, because he's no longer holding my hand. As if he senses my frown, Edward reaches over and grabs my left hand, lacing it through his right arm before returning to his position. "The whole 'I won't give up' shit is either James meaning he won't give up on winning Bella back; or it's Tanya saying she won't give up – as in she isn't going to stop and leave us alone until she gets her way."

"Makes sense," Alec says with a nod. "Okay. Let's go to the station and get this filed. I'll make copies of everything afterwards as well so you have everything on you. If this goes further and something else happens, go to the police station right away and let me know as well. As we're leaving he stops and turns around with a grin. "Oh, and congratulations as well. It's such a shame to see such a lovely woman taken off the market."

I blush when he winks at me. Edward coughs and raises an eyebrow at Alec, who just shrugs and smirks before leading the way out of the office.

-o-

"So, Mrs. Cullen," Edward says against my neck as he presses his body against mine from behind. "Are you wet?"

I swallow back a moan. "I'm not Mrs. Cullen yet, Mr. Cullen, and yes I am wet."

"How wet are you?"

"I'm soaked."

"Mmm, you look so sexy like this."

I choke out a laugh. "How so?"

I can feel him shrug. "I don't know. It's just so…domestic."

I turn around and flick my soaked hands at his face, causing him to blink as water splashes his face.

"Hey! There's soap mixed in with that water. What if it got in my eye?" He pouts and even though it's ridiculous, I still melt and give in. I play along.

"Aw, baby, I'm so sorry. Do you need me to kiss it better?" He licks his lips and nods. "Where does it hurt?"

"Everywhere." His pout is in full force now.

"Hmm, where should I start?"

"Right here," he points to his lips.

I kiss him lightly, barely pressing my lips against his. But Edward isn't having it. He suddenly grabs my ass and lifts me up, plopping me down on the counter beside the sink. His hands and lips are everywhere and after only a few seconds, I'm a moaning, panting mess.

"Jesus Christ!"

I yelp and jump back, startled by the yelling. I peek around Edward and see Emmett standing there with his hands over his eyes.

"What is wrong with you two? How the fuck are dishes foreplay?"

I giggle against Edward's chest as he sighs deeply. "Go away Emmett," he says in a strained voice. I can feel his hard on against me and I know he's trying to will it away, unfortunately.

"I will not go away. You invite us over for dinner and then disappear into the kitchen under the pretense of cleaning up and making coffee, but you're really fuckin' around!"

My giggles turn into full blow laughter. Edward joins in this time as he gently sets me down on the floor. "Sorry love. You wanna go hang with Rose and Mase? Emmett can help me with the rest of those," he nods toward the sink full of dishes.

"Aw man. Really?" Emmett sounds like his nephew.

"Yeah, really asshole. You wanna cockblock, you're gonna pay."

After giving Edward a final peck on the lips, I make my way passed a grumbling Emmett and head into the backyard.

"Hey," Rose greets me as I sit down next to her. I love sitting out here in my comfy lawn chairs, and even more when we're around the small fire pit, like right now. "Did Emmett interrupt your make out sesh?"

I laugh and nod. "Yep. He did."

Rose shakes her head. "I'll make him pay for it tonight."

"Nice. Make the torture last as long as possible.

She lets out a loud laugh. "Will do." She takes a sip of her wine. "Hey, what are you doing for February vacation? It must be great to just get a week off of work."

"It's not too bad," I agree with a smile. "I'm not sure yet. I'll have to talk to Edward about it."

"It's weird, isn't it?"

"What?"

"Thinking of not only yourself but Edward and Masen. How does it feel knowing that none of your decisions are truly your own anymore?"

I'm about to answer her when Masen runs over to us, apparently bored with his toys. He snuggles up into my lap and lets out a happy sigh. "It feels great." It really does. I love the idea of Edward and I being a team – whether we're up against good or bad things. And I love this little boy. I squeeze Masen and he giggles before squeezing my neck.

She looks surprised. "Really?"

I hear Emmett's booming laugh and turn toward the house. I see Edward's smiling face and when our eyes meet, I answer Rose's question truthfully. "Yep."

**A/N: I know I said that this would be up earlier than Friday, but the week was hectic and yesterday was my 25****th**** birthday…so yeah. :) I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please review. As always you will have something lovely in your inbox. xo**

**P.S: Thank you to everyone who reviewed my new story. That new chapter will be up in the morning.. :) **


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Hello lovelies! I had some computer trouble…again. There was an incident at my brother's birthday party that left me laptopless. :( So please forgive me for updating late and not sending out your prizes. I'll be making it up to you though. Read the bottom note for details. :)**

* * *

Edward and I had spent the first five days of me and Masen's February vacation doing tons of family things together. My favorite had been going to the aquarium. We spent the entire day there, and Masen's smile grew larger with each new animal we saw. These last five days had made me feel like we were a real family. Of course, we have been for a long time, even longer than both Edward and I would like to admit, but going on family outings just made it more "real world." I laugh when I remember how wide Masen's eyes were when we saw the shark tank. He was scared that they could somehow get him through the glass, and Edward and I then found out that Emmett let him watch Jaws. Rosalie helped us punish him. He was blue-balling for a while.

"What are you thinking about so hard over there?" Edward's question brings me out of my thoughts. I just smile and shrug. "Keeping secrets, babe?" he asks with a smirk. I know he's joking, because he knows I'll never keep anything from him again; no matter what it is.

"Mhmm," I hum as I stretch on my lounger. It's incredibly sunny and warm for a February day in Forks and I'm taking full advantage of it. Edward groans and I inwardly fist pump and congratulate myself on my outfit. It's only a pair of shorts and a tank top with lace, but it seems to do something for Edward. That's what I love about him. It doesn't take me much effort for him to think I'm beautiful.

"Knock it off," he murmurs in my ear after scooting his lounger directly next to mine. He's so close that he's now rubbing one of his feet along my leg. "Or I won't be held responsible for my actions."

I let out a laugh and open my eyes. Seeing the pained look on his face only makes me laugh harder. "Oh yeah? What move are you gonna make in front of my Dad?" I look over at Charlie who's manning the grill. Masen's sitting next to the grill, ready to help with anything and everything. He loves being a little helper, especially to his Pop.

I look back at Edward and laugh at his pout. "You're mean," he says, making his pout full force.

"Am not."

He bites his lip and puts the saddest look on his face. I'm about to crumble and give him anything he wants, audience be damned; so I quickly shoot up out of my lounger and yell to my dad. "Dad! You need any help?" I don't wait for his response. I start making my way over toward him and Masen. I smile when I hear Edward mumble and curse.

"Hey guys," I say as I pick Masen up. "Almost done?"

"Yep. We been working real hard Mommy," Masen says with a smile.

"We?" Dad asks with a twitch of his mustache. He loves when Masen calls me Mommy.

"Yeah but I can't touch the grill. Pops says it's too hot and I'm too little." He pouts and he looks so much like his father, it's insane.

"That's okay," Dad says. "You've been the biggest help ever. Why don't you go play in the new sandbox?"

I roll my eyes. Charlie's turned his backyard into a kid's fantasy land. There's a new sandbox and a new swing set. I know he's going to go overboard when the summer hits too.

"Okay!" Masen yells with a smile while trying to wriggle out of my grasp. I place him down gently and he's off.

I'm about to make my own exit, when my dad calls me by my name. My full name. Shit.

"Isabella Marie Swan."

"Yeah Dad?"

"Tell me it's not true."

I'm confused. "What?"

"Someone's stalking you?" he asks as he crosses his arms over his chest. He's trying to look threatening and fuck me, it's working.

"Um…no…well…maybe."

He raises an eyebrow. "Someone left me a couple of notes, but I told Edward and we went to his lawyer and handled it. We went and filed a report in Port Angeles; that's where the creepy note was left."

"And what about the one in your classroom here in Forks? There was no report made. I would know about it."

"Um…" Then it hits me. "Wait. How _do_ you know all of this?"

He looks over my shoulder for an instant before answering. "I hear things."

I turn around and look at Edward, who's sporting the guiltiest look on his face._ Fucker_! "Did Edward tell you?"

"No," Dad answers too quickly.

I raise the bitch-brow and smile when I see his face turn slightly red. He lets out a heavy sigh and looks down. "Yes."

"Thanks for talking behind my back," I say quietly with as much venom as I can muster.

"Hey! We weren't talking behind your back. Edward felt that I needed to know, and _I do_! Put aside the part that you're my daughter, I still need to know the happenings in my town. Put the fact that _you are_ my daughter back into it, I need to protect you. Why wouldn't you tell me this Bells?"

Shit. He looks so hurt. "I'm sorry Dad," I sigh. "I didn't want to think it was a big deal. Okay? It had nothing to do with you." I reach out and touch his arm, rubbing it in what I hope is a soothing motion.

"I just want you to be safe. Okay?" I nod. "Anything else happens in my town, you report it to me, right away. Understood young lady?"

I sigh but nod my agreement. He smiles at me and I know we're okay. His next words make me blush. "So how does it feel to be a fiancé?"

I busy myself with grabbing all of the bowls on the small table next to the grill. "It feels great." I turn away from his smirk and yell to my boys. "Food is ready!"

My dad chuckles, knowing exactly what I'm doing. "I'm gonna go grab the beers. I'll be right back."

I make my way over to Edward, who is still sitting in his lounger. I crawl on top of him, lying my body on top of his. "You're a snitch," I accuse with a scowl.

He bites his lip and I can tell he's trying not to laugh. I squeeze his nipple through his t-shirt, making him yelp. "I'm not admitting that I'm a snitch." He pouts. "I didn't snitch. I told Charlie because he needed to know. What if something else were to happen? Imagine how he would feel when you went to put in a report and had to admit that something happened before."

I sigh, because I know he's right.

I kiss his lips slowly and gently as his hands wander along my thighs up to my ass. He gives my ass a firm squeeze, earning a too-loud moan from me. "Shh," he coos. "You wouldn't want Charlie to hear us, would you? And I know what you're doing. You're distracting me so you don't have to admit I'm right."

Obviously I wouldn't want to be caught by my father, that'd be gross and just might scar me for life. But I also don't want to admit that he was right and I was wrong.

I discreetly swivel my hips, earning a guttural groan from Edward that has me smiling in triumph. Distraction complete.

Suddenly, we hear way too much noise coming from the house, so I know that's my dad's warning that he's returning. He doesn't want to catch me anymore than I want to be caught. I shudder when I think of the tables being turned. What if I walked in on Charlie and Sue? I shudder at he thought.

"You cold, love?" Edward asks me sweetly as he moves his hands to a much safer position – my back.

"Mhm," I hum. "A little bit." It's a little white lie. No reason to scar Edward as well. "And you're right, okay?" I sigh in defeat while he grins. I look down, not giving him the benefit of seeing my immature anger.

"Hey," he says softly nudging my chin with his own. I raise an eyebrow. "How would you feel about Charlie watching Masen tonight?"

I grin. "I'm sure he'd love it. Wanna ask?"

Edward nods. His eyes are already turning to that deep green that only his lust brings out. I scramble off him, knowing that if I look in his eyes any longer, I won't be able to control myself. I walk over to Charlie and pull him aside. Of course he wants Masen to spend the night. I tell him to bring him by in the morning and I'll cook a huge breakfast for us all. That has my dad grinning from ear to ear.

-o-

"Fuck. _Oh, shit_. Right there."

"Yeah?" Edward asks breathlessly.

"Mmmm, yeah, yeah…"

Suddenly, Edward lifts both of my ankles, placing them over his shoulders. The sudden angle change has me cursing like a sailor. "How about there?" he asks cockily. I pull him down closer by grabbing his neck and press my lips firmly against his. He opens up to me immediately and I waste no time in caressing his tongue with my own. After a minute or so, we need to breathe, so he pulls back slightly.

But my mouth isn't done. I trail my lips from his neck down, not stopping until my lips are wrapped around his nipple. I swirl my tongue around it and bite down gently. "Shit!" he yelps. His thrusts stutter slightly before he finds his bearings and continues with his rigorous pace; pounding my pussy with no restraint.

I love this. I love being with him. I love when he fucks me. Don't get me wrong, I love my sweet Edward – the man who will make love to me for hours while he whispers loving words. But I also love Dirtyward – the man who will fuck me stupid. Which he's currently doing a fan-_fucking_-tastic job of right now.

"Oh fuck Bella. _Goddamn_, so fucking tight." I wrap my legs more tightly around his waist. Using all my strength and the element of surprise, I flip us over, until I'm straddling Edward. "Wh…what…" he sputters before I realign him with my entrance. I slam my hips down, taking every inch of his cock all at once. "OH! _Fuck me_!" he roars out.

I giggle and continue to lift my hips slowly, swiveling them quickly when our bodies are flushed together. "I plan to baby. Trust me."

Edward smirks and reaches up, squeezing my tits roughly before gently palming them. His thumbs barely sweep over my nipples, causing me to arch into his touch. "More," I pant out. His smirk only gets bigger because he knows how much I fucking want him. He sits up and wraps his hands around my ass, using their position to guide my movements on his cock.

"Fuck baby," he murmurs against my neck. "I fucking love you. You know that right?" I can only nod. "I'm going to fuck you, make love to you, and take care of you and our son, every single day for as long as I goddamn live." I whimper at his words and I can feel him smile against my neck. "I can't wait to fuck you like this…" he hesitates and lays down, moving his hands to my hips. He begins lifting his hips slowly, meeting my thrusts with one of his own. Suddenly, his thrusts are rougher, deeper; each thrust leaves me more breathless. "…When. You're. My. Wife." He punctuates each word with a thrust of his hips.

I let out a loud moan, sliding my hands along his chest until they're resting in his messy hair. I tug on it roughly, making Edward grunt. I can feel my orgasm approaching, so I place one hand in between us, rubbing my clit roughly. "Fuck yeah Bella, play with your pussy." Edward's dirty words push me over the edge. I throw my head back, riding out my high as Edward continues to fuck me hard.

I practically fall on top of him, feeling completely sated and blissed out. Edward's grunting roughly, coming closer to his own release with each thrust. I sit up slightly so I can look down at him. I give him a playful smirk as I run my fingers along his lips. His eyes widen and he opens his mouth willingly, sucking my fingers into his mouth. When he moans around my fingers, sucking them dry of my juices, I cry out. I'm just as surprised as Edward is when my pussy clenches around him tightly. He cums right along with me, filling me over and over again as I enjoy my second orgasm, trying but failing to keep my vision from blurring.

I collapse on top of him completely this time, causing him to chuckle. He lifts my hips slightly and gently pulls out of me, both of us hissing at the loss of contact. He turns slightly on his side and pulls me against him, wrapping my left leg around his hip. His grin is huge. "Well?" he asks me, almost vibrating with excitement.

"Well what?" I'm playing stupid. I know what he wants me to say. I refuse to stroke his already huge ego. I try to distract him by stroking something else of his that's huge. His eyes widen and he winces slightly.

"As good as that feels, I need a few minutes, babe." I let out a giggle. "What?" he asks, looking slightly…hurt? I stop laughing…slightly.

"I thought you were a sex superhero. I mean, you've made your girlfriend unable to walk and now you've given her multiple orgasms."

He scowls. "I'm not a sex superhero. I mean…I'm fucking amazing obviously," he smirks and I roll my eyes. "But I mean, I'm only one man at the end of the day, ya know? And excuse me, you were my fiancé on both occasions." He attacks my neck with kisses, causing me to squeal. "I think I'm ready for round two. Or three in your case." I can feel the damn smirk against my skin. "Fuck, maybe I _am _a superhero!"

He pulls back, smiling down at me, making my heart clench. "Oh yeah?" I play along. He nods. "Prove it."

He throws his head back and laughs. When he looks down at me again, all humor is gone. His face is serious and fucking sexy. "Challenge accepted." And then he attacks me.

-o-

"What time do you think you'll be home?" I ask as I pack Masen's lunch.

"I don't know babe. It might be late. I wanna make sure these assholes do it right, you know?"

I look up and smile at him. "I get it. We're doing some Easter arts and crafts at school today. Masen's making you something special. I think he misses you." I say it gently, making sure he knows I'm not accusing him of anything. I know how hard he's been working to get his first center up. Over the last month he's been getting home late and completely exhausted, not really having time for much more than dinner and a couple of hours of family time. He's even had to work weekends.

He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "I know. I miss him too." He holds out his arms and hugs me tightly. "You too."

"I miss you," I say softly, snuggling into his warmth and his inviting smell. I kiss his neck and he groans. "I _really_ miss you." Over the last month we've barely had time for sexy time. My vagina is very depressed.

"Soon baby. I promise. I'll make your toes curl." I shudder at his tone and promise before looking up at him and giving him what I hope is a sexy smile. He groans again so I guess I was successful. "I'll call you when I get a chance."

"Okay," I sigh heavily, readying myself for another long day without his presence.

"Love you," he murmurs against my lips before pressing his own against them.

"Love you too baby."

-o-

"Okay. So when I call up each row, I want you all to pick either a bunny or a chick. We're going to color them and then make Easter cards for our families." All of my kids giggle and vibrate with excitement. I call each row, and of course almost every boy picks up a bunny.

When Masen's row is called he picks a chick. I arch a questioning eyebrow at him. He smiles sheepishly and shrugs, explaining in his simple and adorable way. "They're cute."

The kids finish their cards at the perfect time. I start placing them along the window sill after the kids leave for recess so they'll be dry by the time they get back. Then they'll be able to add the glitter.

Suddenly, the hair on the back of my neck rises, my heart beats frantically, and my palms begin sweating. Someone's watching me. I can feel it. I glance toward my classroom door, but nobody's there. I bite my lip and wring my hands together, feeling super anxious all of a sudden. I look at the clock and see that the kids are due to be back in fifteen minutes.

A shiver runs through me and I walk over to my desk and pull my cardigan on. It doesn't make me feel any warmer. I roll my eyes at myself. "Stop being paranoid," I whisper to myself. The stupid note shit is starting to get to me. There hasn't been another, which should make me feel better, but it doesn't. It's just left me with a serious feeling of foreboding, especially with the lack of Edward's presence.

I bend over to pick up a crumpled piece of paper on the floor next to my desk. I unfold it and gasp when I see the words on it.

_I won't give up, no matter what._

Someone coughs behind me.

* * *

**A/N: Let me know your thoughts! I know I'm evil for leaving you with a little bit of a cliffie there, but hey, I like being evil sometimes. ;) Those of you who review will receive a ?POV. Meaning it's a secret person point of view. Hehe. Trust me, you want this POV. I'll send them out tomorrow night, that way it gives everyone a chance to review. Of course if you're reading this later than tomorrow night (Sunday) you will still receive the POV. Love you all, truly! xo**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Let's see what's up in B's classroom, yeah?**

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**BPOV**

The cough is masculine.

I take a deep breath, preparing for the worst – James; but hoping for the best – Edward. When I turn around and see who it is, I release the breath I'd been holding. "Shit, Riley, you scared me." I let out a small laugh as he smiles at me.

"Really? I'm scary?" He pulls what I think he assumes is a threatening face and lets out a laugh. "Everyone says I have a baby face, so I can only take that as a compliment."

"It wasn't _you_ that scared me, not really." I bite my lip and shake my head. "It's nothing. I just thought…that someone was watching me or something." He looks confused so I shake my head. "It's nothing, like I said. I'm just being paranoid." I crumple the note and throw it in the trash, not wanting him to question it. I'll retrieve it later and bring it to my dad like I promised. Shit, I have to call Edward. He is_ not_ going to be happy.

I know he's not only going to view this as a threat to me, but to Masen too. Why else would this sicko plant the note in my classroom?

"Why are you so paranoid?" He asks me as he stares at my trash can. Something flashes across his features, but it's gone before I can place it.

"Um…" I hesitate for some reason, not wanting to say why. "Someone's been bothering me." That should satisfy him.

Worries crosses his features. "Bothering you? Who? What did they do?" I see his fists clench at his sides. Why is he so upset? I don't understand why he'd be so protective over me. I mean, we promised to be friends, but apart from the pageant – _which was a disaster_ – I've barely seen him. The only time I've seen him has been at faculty meetings, but we don't really associate there, considering we're on opposite spectrums teaching wise.

"Someone has just been leaving me these creepy notes."

Anger flashes across his face. His jaw clenches and when he speaks, his voice is strained. "You think the notes are _creepy_?"

Something about his question bugs me, but I don't dwell on it. I just nod and shrug. I decide to change the subject. "How have you been? What brings you by?"

"I've been all right." He shrugs and takes a deep breath. "I was wondering if you'd like to go to lunch?"

"Oh." I bite my lip. I know Edward would be pissed. I know Edward trusts me, but he doesn't trust Riley. Ever since the pageant, he thinks Riley has feelings for me. Even after I told him that Riley and I went on _one_ date that meant _nothing_. What bugs me is that it's none of those reasons that make me want to say no. Something about the way he's looking at me tells me that I shouldn't go with him. A shiver runs through me.

"You cold?" Riley asks as he runs one of his hands along my arm. I step back and shake my head. He frowns and takes a step back and coughs. "So, lunch? My treat."

"Um, no. I'm sorry. I have a lot of work. I'm going to have to work through my lunch hour."

"I see," he says with a nod. "Maybe next time?"

"Sure." I try to smile but I'm sure it looks like more of a grimace.

Once he's gone, I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

-o-

"Mommy?" Masen asks me from the backseat of my car. I raise an eyebrow in the mirror, so he knows I'm listening. "Do you think that Daddy will like his Easter present?"

"I think he'll love it baby."

"You're gonna wait up for the Easter bunny right? So he can make sure Daddy's present is in his basket?"

"Of course. Easter will be perfect for everyone. I promise."

He smiles and nods, asking me to turn up the radio. I laugh and shake my head when he starts singing along to whatever Justin Bieber song is playing. I can't wait for Edward to witness that. He'll never let the radio be on again.

As soon as I unbuckle him from his booster seat, Masen shoots out of the car, running up the lawn. "Grandma! Grandma!" Esme smiles at him from the porch of her and Carlisle's new home. They're finally completely settled in by Esme's standards. "I brought you somethin'," he says almost shyly as he walks up the porch steps. I cover up my giggle with a cough. Masen turns around and narrows his eyes at me, letting me know that he knows what I did.

"Sorry," I mouth and wave toward Esme to get his attention back on track.

"Here Grandma!" he thrusts a tulip toward Esme, who smiles and takes it gingerly, lifting it up to her nose and inhaling deeply. "Does it smell as pretty as you?" Masen asks sweetly.

Esme sighs and picks him up, nuzzling him against her. "You are the sweetest little boy in the entire world. Never change."

"I hafta change Grandma. Like I'm gonna be seven next year, you know? And I hafta change my undies, Mommy says so."

Esme and I burst into giggles as Masen runs into the house in search of Carlisle. "Are you sure about keeping him?" I ask for the fifth time since she called and offered while I was on my lunch break. I think she heard the worry in my voice from my creepy afternoon.

"Yes Bella," she says sternly. "I love my little man. Plus I think you and Edward need some time together, no?" She wiggles her eyebrows and I can feel the blush form on my cheeks. I just nod. "Pick him up around seven on Saturday. Carlisle and I are going to color eggs with him, and that way he won't be too tired to do all of his Easter things with you and Edward too."

I sigh. "Okay. Thanks for keeping him. I love you." She smiles at me before grabbing me into a fierce hug.

"Masen! Come say bye to your Mom!" she hollers over her shoulder. "I love you too, Bella."

I bite my lip, trying not to cry. It still baffles me how easily the Cullen's have welcomed me into their lives. Especially when they call me Masen's mom all the time, even though the adoption paper work won't be filed until after Edward and I are married. Their easy acceptance means more to me than they'll ever know.

Masen snaps me out of my thoughts when he launches himself at me, squeezing my legs tightly. "Bye Mommy. I love you."

Love and joy swell through me, making me smile hugely down at him. "Love you more."

"Nah uh!" he says with a scowl before he kisses my stomach and runs into the house.

Esme chuckles and with one final parting hug, I'm on my way home to wait for my man.

-o-

I glance at the clock and see that it's a little after eight. I sigh and pick both plates up off of the table and place them in the microwave. I guess we'll be nuking dinner tonight. I try to fight back the bitter thoughts, because honestly, I know it's not _his_ fault. I remind myself that his work is important and will help tons of families. He's selflessly spending his own money along with the money raised to create a place that will undoubtedly help veterans for generations to come. I can give up some of my time with him for such a great cause.

After changing into some comfy pajamas, I decide to pour a glass of wine and sit on the comfy leather couch in the living room. After channel surfing, I find _The Notebook_ on one of HBO's channels. I argue with myself for about five minutes and then end up watching it anyway. I cry myself to sleep.

_Fucking Noah._

Sometime later, I feel someone behind me. I groan and rub my ass against Edward, giggling to myself when I hear him release a groan of his own. "You awake?" he asks me huskily. I can tell by the tone of his voice that I'm going to be a very happy woman tonight. I decide to play with him, because when Edward is riled up, my Dirtyward comes out to play. I let out a sigh because I miss him. "I know you're awake Bella."

I mumble and shimmy my hips, grinning when I feel the evidence of how hard and turned on he is against my ass. "Five more minutes. So tired."

"Baby, I miss you," he coos in my ear. "Don't you miss me?" He presses his hard cock more firmly against my ass as he slides his hand around my hips, not stopping until he cups my pussy. "I know _she_ misses me. Don't you?" he asks as he rubs his fingers along my pussy's lips through my thin cotton pants. I let out a moan, unable to control myself when his hands are on me. "Mmm, there's my girl." I turn around in his arms and smile up at him. "Hi beautiful."

"Hello handsome," I reply before pressing my lips firmly against his. The kiss is chaste for a few minutes, little pecks here and there as my hands slide up his chest and into his hair. When I give his locks a firm tug, he lets out a grunt and kisses me more forcefully. He runs his tongue along my lower lip, asking for access that I grant him immediately.

When his tongue invades my mouth, all of my thoughts clear right out of my head. The only thought that remains is Edward and how much I fucking need him – _right now_.

I moan when his hands find one of their favorite spots – my ass. He gives it a firm squeeze and pulls me more fully against him, letting me feeling every inch of his erection through his slacks. "Damn, I've missed you baby," he mumbles against my lips.

"I missed you more."

He grins against my neck before sucking lightly right below my ear. "I don't think that's possible, love." He pulls back slightly and I pout at him while my pussy screams in protest. "How was your day?"

After mentally telling my crotch to shut up, I answer him. "It was okay."

"Okay?" he asks with a quirk of an eyebrow.

I take a deep breath and look down. Edward knows something's wrong. So I'm not surprised when he lifts my chin and looks at me intently. "What happened?"

"I got another note." His eyes widen. "It was in my classroom, crumpled up next to my desk." He gently pushes me off him and stands up. I know what's next. He's going to pace.

Anddd…the pacing begins.

"What the fuck!" he bellows suddenly, grabbing fist fulls of his hair and pulling roughly. I want to tell him to not torture his pretty hair, but I figure that wouldn't be the best thing to say right now. I could say that it's my job to tug his hair while he fucks me; I could possibly distract him long enough for him to forget what I just said.

I roll my eyes at myself. Who am I kidding? I could strip naked and beg him to fuck me and he'd still be on the whole note thing. Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that Edward clearly loves me and worries for my safety above all else; but right now my pussy needs his undivided attention. Besides, I won't be able to have a productive conversation if my reproductive organs are screaming at me.

Heh. That was kind of clever.

"…is how the fuck they got a note that close to you! And why crumple it up?"

Oh shit. He'd been ranting and I totally wasn't paying attention. "I don't know how they got it in there baby. It was so strange. I felt…" I remember how I felt before I found the note and another shiver runs up my spine. Suddenly, I'm not too worried about the sexy times. Remembering how scared and creeped out I was is causing a repeat performance of my earlier emotions.

Edward sees my distress and sits down on the couch, pulling me down onto his lap. I snuggle up against his chest, burying my face in the crook of his neck. I breathe in the mixture of his cologne and that yummy smell that's all Edward. "You felt what baby?" he asks softly.

"Really scared," I whisper against his skin. "I felt like someone was watching me. It was such a terrible feeling. I felt like I was in…danger." Edward shudders and squeezes me tighter. "All of the kids were at recess, thank God. So they didn't see my worry; especially Masen. God, Edward. I'm so sorry. I don't want him to get caught up in all of this. This is all my fault."

"Hey," he pulls back slightly to look down at me. "None of this is your fault. This is fucking Tanya or James thinking they can fuck up our lives. I will not let anyone hurt you or Masen. Got me?" I bite my lip and nod. "I love you," he says before kissing me lightly.

"I love you too." I sigh in contentment.

"So what happened after you found the note? Do you have it?"

I nod. "I have it. It's in my purse. I'm going to bring it to Charlie first thing tomorrow. He's working the night shift tonight, so he'll still be there early in the morning. And nothing happened really. Well…not exactly nothing."

"Tell me."

"When I was picking up the note," I swallow, "Someone coughed behind me. I swear Edward, I thought something was going to happen to me." My lip starts to tremble and horror washes over me when I realize I'm going to cry. I take a deep breath in hopes of fighting the tears back. "I thought whoever was doing this shit was right behind me and was going to…I don't know." I realize I'm crying when Edward wipes away my tears with the pads of his thumbs.

"Who was it?"

"Riley." I wait for his explosion.

"Teacher Riley?" I nod. "Who couldn't keep his hands off of you?"

I roll my eyes. "He kept his hands off of me Edward."

Edward huffs. "The two times you two have been in the same place in my presence, his hands have been on you."

I ignore his scowl. "We were on a date that you intruded on the first time. And the second time was totally innocent."

"Innocent my ass," he grumbles.

"I didn't feel better when I realized it was him. I don't know why. I guess it's because I've felt awkward around him since the pageant." Edward's brow furrows and I know he's thinking hard. "It was awkward, you know? Him seeing me there with you after we'd gone out on a date."

"It was one date," Edward says like I'm slow.

"I know, but-" I stop myself, not wanting to have that particular conversation with Edward.

"But what?" The look on his face tells me that he's not going to let this go.

"After our date…I told him I wasn't ready to see anybody. He told me he'd wait for me, and I…didn't exactly tell him to _not_ wait for me." I wince when Edward's eyes widen.

"So this guy is carrying a torch for you? You lead him on?"

I narrow my eyes and jump up, placing one hand on my hip and using the other to point a finger in his face. "I did not lead him on! I just told him I wasn't available right now and didn't say anything when he said he'd wait. I didn't want to be mean or rude. I'm not that type of girl Edward and if you think I am…" I trail off, feeling traitorous tears form in my eyes. What the hell is going on with me?_ I must be getting my period_.

Edward jumps off of the couch and has his arms around me in an instant. "Shh," he coos while rubbing my back. "That's not what I was saying Bella. It's just…you can't just leave an open invitation like that to some guys. You know? They need it said in black and white, no ifs ands or buts about it."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. You went out with him, right? Had a nice time. He tried to kiss you and you denied him, your reasoning was that you weren't ready yet. He tells you he'll wait, meaning as soon as you're ready, he's next in line. But he wasn't, was he?" He grins cockily before covering it up with a cough. "You're with me and this guy has had to see you progress into a relationship with someone else. In his eyes it should've been him."

"You're making this into a big deal when it's not." I pull back and give him a disbelieving look.

"No I'm not Bella," he says with a hint of annoyance in his tone. "Trust me. He won't give up, no matter what."

The second the words are out of his mouth, both of our eyes widen.

"No…" I trail off, shaking my head and backing out of Edward's hold. I plop down on the couch, feeling slightly dizzy as my mind spins. "There's no way…it doesn't make sense." But things are forming in my head that make _so _much sense now. Maybe it isn't Tanya or James. I'm sure we're not rid of those fuckers, and that thought alone makes me exhausted. But the fact that it could be Riley…

He _would_ have access to my room. He could observe me and no one would think anything of it, because he's a teacher there. I think back to how upset he looked during our talk, and how I didn't feel right being in his presence. "Oh my God," I choke out. "What if it _is_ him?" I'm bordering on a panic attack, I can feel it.

Suddenly, Edward is there, kneeling in front of me and rubbing my thighs. "It'll be okay baby. We're going to go see Charlie in the morning. We'll work this all out, okay? And we'll talk to the school Monday as well."

"You can't come with me." I bite my lip to hold off more tears, because I do not want Edward feeling guilty. "You have that Saturday brunch meeting with the investors." I know how important it is for him to go to that meeting. These are the people who are going to invest in his idea. If his project takes off, they could help him make it nationwide, not just here in Seattle or the West Coast.

"Fuck," he shouts before burying his face in my legs. "I'm so sorry Bella. Maybe I can-"

"Shh," I cut him off as I run my fingers through his hair. "I'll have Jake go with me, okay? That way you'll feel better about not being there." He nods. "And maybe you can come with me Monday?" I'm pretty sure he has nothing huge Monday morning. Nothing that can't be bumped back an hour or two anyway.

"I will," he says as he looks up at me. "I'll do anything to make you feel better and anything to protect you. I love you. You know that right?"

I nod. "I love you. Will you do something for me?"

"Anything."

"Make love to me. Make me forget all of this fucked up shit." He stands up and holds out his arms. I launch myself into them, peppering his face with kisses. "I need you."

He groans and takes the stairs two at a time, not slowing down until we're both naked and under the covers. He lays his body down onto mine and I immediately spread my legs for him, wrapping them around his waist tightly, anchoring him to me. After sliding his fingers in between my thighs to make sure I'm ready for him, which I am, always. He slides into me slowly.

I sigh out in relief when he fills me completely.

He makes love to me slowly, pulling his cock out almost completely before sliding every inch back inside my aching pussy. He presses his lips against mine, whispering words of love and contentment in between heated kisses. I arch my back when his tongue finds my sensitive nipples, paying equal attention to both. "So close," I whisper as I scratch my nails down his back. His pace quickens, and I let out a long moan when I feel the coil tighten further in my belly.

With a final swivel of his hips as he sucks on my neck, I cum powerfully, the pleasure coursing through me without restraint. He follows right after, murmuring his love for me as he collapses on top of me. Thankfully, we both fall asleep easily, tangled up in each other.

-o-

"This fucker is going down," Jake says as he drives toward the station.

"Jake," I sigh. "We don't even know if it's him."

He shakes his head and glances at me. "Edward seemed pretty convinced, and everything he said made a lot of sense. Where does this guy work in the school?"

"Um…" I think of the school's layout. "He's on the second floor, I think on the same side of the building as me. Actually, probably the classroom above mine."

His mouth pops open. "So you're telling me this sicko is right above you, with a stairway right next to his classroom that leads right down in front of yours?"

"Jake…relax."

"Fuck that shit. You have two…no _three_…military men at your disposal. You better fuckin' believe Edward and me are bringing this shit up at our next poker night." Oh god, the poker nights. Jake, along with some boys from the rez, meet up with Edward, Emmett, and Jasper at least twice a month. I swear, they gossip more than women at those damn games. "You'll never be alone again," he finishes, interrupting my thoughts.

"Oh yes I will. I'm not going to have the three of you as constant bodyguards."

"Of course not," Jake scoffs. I sigh in relief. _Thank fucking God_. I'd go crazy.

"We'll have to rotate Jasper in and some guys from the rez. Of course when I tell Charlie all the shit Edward made sure to tell me to tell him, I'm sure you'll have some of the deputies at your disposal too. You'll never be alone again."

_Fuck_. Crazy, here I come.

-o-

When we arrive at the station, my dad is right there. I called him and told him something was up so he wouldn't have a heart attack seeing me walk in unannounced. "Bells, come into my office." He leads me toward his "office" which really looks like a damn closet with a desk, two chairs, and a coat rack crammed inside it.

"Give it here," he says gruffly. I hand him the note and he squeezes it tightly, crumpling it again. "Motherfuckers. Any idea who this could be yet?"

"Like Edward told you before, it's probably Tanya or James, so-"

"Nah," Jake interrupts me. "It's neither of them."

"How do you know?" Charlie asks, focusing on Jake like I'm not fucking here.

After Jake tells Charlie Edward's theory, Charlie's jaw is tight and his eyes are practically murderous. "We'll have a deputy outside your house at all times Bella. Jake, when one of you can't be near her, I want an immediate call placed here for someone to be with her at once. Not a second alone. Got me?"

"Got it, Chief."

"Hello!" I shout. "_I'm right here_!"

My dad looks at me like I'm crazy. "I know Bells. Shh, we're trying to figure out the schedule."

I don't even argue. I just accept my fate.

Whoever is up to this, will seriously pay. I'm going to fucking kill them. Maybe I can claim an insanity defense, because I know I'm going to go fucking insane with all of these goddamn Neanderthals surrounding me.

* * *

**A/N: Bella is ready to kick some ass! So who agrees with Edward that it's Riley? Who thinks its Tanya or James? Hell, who thinks it's someone else? Let me know your thoughts. Reviewers will get an EPOV! You know you want some Eddie. :)**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: I need to get sappy for a minute and say thanks so much for those of you who review every single week with your guesses or just general ideas about my story. Also, thanks to those of you who review whenever! And some of you who have never reviewed before but felt inclined to do so because of my story. Each and every one makes me smile so big, you have no idea. When I first started writing, I never thought anyone would ever want to read anything I had to say, lol. So this is a very big deal for me. **

**Enough of the sap. Let's get back into it, shall we? xo**

* * *

**BPOV**

I wake up to Edward's scruffy face rubbing against my cheek. "Stop," I whine before stretching and rolling over, away from the offending scruff. "I wanna sleep."

Edward chuckles and snuggles up behind me. "We have to get up and get ready."

"I know," I mumble from the safety of underneath my pillow. "Go away."

"I have to take a shower."

"Okay…" Where is he going with this? I can still sleep while he takes one, and then I'll wake up when it's my turn. _Duh_.

"I was thinking…" he pauses as he trails kisses along my back. "Maybe you could join me?"

"I'm awake!" I yell louder than I intended to. I jump up and Edward smirks at me as he removes his pajama pants. My mouth waters when I notice his very prominent morning wood. He curls his fingers, silently beckoning me to him. I comply immediately.

I shed the tiny white beater and my small pajama shorts, so by the time I enter the bathroom, I'm completely naked. Edward's already in the shower, so I quickly make my way across the steam filled room and slip in behind him. I wrap my arms around him, running my hands up and down his muscular chest. He lets out a low moan and turns around in my arms.

His lips descend on mine and what starts out as a chaste kiss, quickly morphs into more. His tongue slides against mine, making me moan into the kiss. He runs his tongue along my teeth before biting my lower lip gently, making me shiver. "I love you Bella. You know that, right?" he asks me as he runs his nose along the column of my throat. "I don't know what I would do if anything ever happened to you."

He shudders against me, so I hold him tightly. "Nothing is going to happen to me baby. I'm right here."

Suddenly, his hands are one the back of my thighs, sliding down until he's holding the back of my knees. In one, swift movement, he's holding me up against him. His hands grip my ass as he walks toward the back of the shower. He presses me gently against the cool tile and I sigh as his lips leave a trail of kisses along my neck, not stopping until he's joined with my lips again.

I feel his cock twitch against us, and I smile into the kiss. "What? Proud of yourself?" he asks me breathlessly as he presses himself against me more firmly. "Do something about it." He grabs my wrist and leads my hand in between us, releasing me when I'm inches away from his straining dick.

"Do you need me to relieve some pressure, baby?" I coo, teasing him.

He nods against my neck before sucking roughly. "Don't leave a mark!" I chastise him. _God_. We're spending Easter with his parents today!

"Do you want me to stop?" he asks as he licks along the wound he created, before sucking again. My eyes roll into the back of my head.

"No," I moan, leaning my head back so he can have more neck access. "More."

He nibbles on my skin, biting gently. He groans against my neck when my grip on his cock tightens.

I align him with my entrance, my heart beating rapidly as I wait for that one glorious thrust that will result in immense pleasure.

BANG. BANG. BANG.

"Mommy! Daddy! The Easter Bunny came! Come on! Come on!"

We both freeze.

Edward breaks the silence a second later, groaning and whining into my neck. I let out a small giggle and he bites my neck roughly. I gasp and narrow my eyes at him. "Sorry," he mumbles. "I'm a little…frustrated."

I can't help but giggle again. "I'll make it up to you, cowboy. But come on, our little man is waiting for us."

He sighs but nods. We make quick work of the rest of our shower, keeping our hands to ourselves…mostly.

Ten minutes later, we're in bath robes watching Masen dig through his Easter basket.

"Wow! Skylander guys! Look Daddy!" He proudly holds up the two new guys.

Edward smiles and nods before looking back at me and whispering, "What the hell are Skylanders?"

We walk toward the kitchen counter to grab coffee and I quickly explain that they're toys that go with a video game. When he looks even more confused, I sigh. "It's this game your Mom bought him for the Xbox. He can put the little toy guys onto this platform that came with the game and they get transferred into the game. It's meant to be a game for little kids…but Emmett plays it just as much as Masen."

I look up from my coffee and see the sad smile on Edward's face. "What's wrong?"

"I've been missing a lot, haven't I?"

I shrug, not wanting to fight on Easter. I mean, I'm not going to argue with him regardless. I know his work is important. I just don't want anything to ruin our first Easter together.

"Bella? Be honest with me. Please."

I sigh and nod. "Yes. You've been missing a lot. But don't feel bad." I wrap my arms around him and hug him to me tightly. I inhale the fresh smell of pure Edward. I guarantee he could bottle up his natural smell and sell it as cologne or something. "Your work is important," I continue. "I understand. We both do."

He shakes his head and pulls back, placing both of his hands on each side of my face. "Don't you see Bella? My work is important because I'm trying to help military families, right?" I nod. "I'm trying to save families from falling apart by giving them and their soldiers the support they need." I nod again. "But look what I'm doing to _my_ family in the process. I'm neglecting my own family to help others. I'm all for helping others Bella, you know that, but I'm not going to sacrifice my own family in the process."

I'm about to speak but he cuts me off, placing his lips against mine. "I know what you're going to say. But listen. I'm not giving up. Hell, I couldn't if I wanted to. I've created a monster with this foundation." He smiles proudly. "All I'm saying is that I'm going to cut back on my hours. I don't need to be there every single second of the day. That's what employees are for. Okay?"

I'm about to answer him, to tell him that it's okay. I want him to work as much as he thinks he needs to. I know it won't be forever and I'll survive. But Masen interrupts me. "Yes!" he screeches.

"What baby?" I ask, wondering what has him so excited, seeing as how all that's left in his basket now is candy.

"Derek told me that the Easter Bunny doesn't grant Easter wishes, but he was wrong and I was right!"

I frown and kneel down in front of him. "What are you talking about honey? What wish?"

"I wished that you and Daddy would kiss more and be together more. You're always sad until Daddy comes home and he's always sad when he's away. Daddy was kissing you! And he's here and we're all happy. And you're not going anywhere today at all right Daddy?"

"No buddy," Edward chokes out. "If I go anywhere, you and Mommy will be right there with me."

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Masen yells while he fist pumps happily.

I peek over my shoulder at Edward and nod my head. "Less hours," I mouth.

He winks at me and nods.

-o-

After Edward and I went through our own baskets from the Easter Bunny – where Edward found what Masen made for him – a homemade card that choked him up again, we set off for Edward's parent's house.

When we arrive, everyone is already there. I've said it before and I'll say it a million more times – I love the Cullens. Not only did they invite my Dad, but they invited my best friends. I smile at Alice and Jasper, and Jake and Leah. "Happy Easter everyone," I say as we all hug, kiss, and greet each other. "Where's Jessica?"

I don't get an answer to my question, because Emmett runs over and picks me up, twirling me around. "Hello, little sister!" I roll my eyes at his new annoying nickname for me.

"Hello, big brother."

He smiles down at me, giving me the full force of his adorable man dimples and I have to crack a grin right back. "How's your Easter been so far?"

"Oh, it was amazing. I had fun with my Bunny last night." He waggles his eyebrows at Rosalie, who surprises everyone and blushes.

"You met the Easter Bunny, Uncle Emmie?" Masen asks wide-eyed. Edward scowls at his brother while Rosalie, Alice and I burst into giggles. "What's so funny? Leah asks as she walks up to us, which makes us break out into a new round.

"Nothing baby," Jake answers with a laugh as he runs up behind her. I swear, the man thinks we're going to corrupt her or something. "Jessica isn't here because Mike's family invited them over," he answers with an eye roll. I swear, if I didn't see how in love he is with Leah, I'd wonder if he was jealous of Jessica and Mike.

The fact that I had no idea what my best friend was doing for a major holiday doesn't sit right with me. Almost as if he can read my thoughts – Edward is by my side instantly. "You okay?" he asks quietly, not drawing attention to Masen. I nod and give him a small smile. "Jessica?" My eyes widen when he guesses right. I nod. He kisses my temple. "Make a lunch date or something with her, okay?" I nod. "It'll be all right babe. People grow apart physically, but not here, not within." He taps the place over my heart and I burst into a very unattractive fit of giggles.

Edward keeps a straight face for all of three seconds before joining me. "Damn. I couldn't keep a straight face," he pouts and pulls me back into his arms. "I wanted to make you laugh, so I said it extra corny, but you know it's true right? Just because you don't see her every single day doesn't mean she's not your best friend."

"I know. Thank you." I kiss him on the nose sweetly before going back to join the girls. I watch in mild annoyance as all of the men gather together and talk in hushed whispers. When they keep looking over here, I know they're talking about me and about tomorrow. I narrow my eyes at Edward but all he does is shrug. My bitch face is clearly losing its effectiveness.

"How are you Bells?" Alice asks me, pulling my attention back to our little group. I see Esme approaching, so I wait to give my answer.

Leah misreads this and speaks up. "I'm sorry. If you feel uncomfortable with me here…I can leave. I'll go talk with the guys." I grab her wrist and shake my head. "Are you sure?"

"Of course Leah. I trust you. You're marrying one of my best friends. I'm just waiting for Esme so I'm not repeating myself a million times." I give her a smile that she returns and when Esme joins us I answer Alice. "I'm okay." They all give me their own versions of disbelieving looks. "I am okay. I'm a little shaken up, but it'll be fine. Edward is going into work with me tomorrow morning and we're going to talk to the principal about Edward's suspicions."

"You don't think it's this Riley man?" Esme asks.

"I honestly don't know. I mean…I felt weird when I was alone with him in my classroom, but-"

"No buts," Esme says with a shake of her head. She steps forward and squeezes my arm. "Always trust your instincts. Don't be foolish sweetheart. You're important, and we all love you far too much to lose you. Got that?"

I nod, not able to form words because I'm too busy trying not to cry. "Mommy?" Masen asks, looking scared. "Are you gonna cry? Are you okay?"

"Oh baby," I say as I bend down and pick him up. "I'm not going to cry. Mommy is fine. We were just talking about how Daddy is going to go to school with us tomorrow."

"Oh yeah! He said he's gonna buy me a doughnut!"

He snuggles into my neck when Leah begins talking to him. He gives her adorable short and shy answers as he talks with her. I squeeze him to me tightly and let Esme's words sink in. I can't be reckless with my life, because I'm not the only one that matters here. I have so many other people tangibly tied to me.

Edward smiles at me from his spot with the guys as Masen twirls a piece of my hair between his fingers. Yeah. I need to be careful. For myself and for my boys.

-o-

"You nervous about tomorrow?" Edward asks me as I brush my teeth.

I shake my head, thankful for the toothbrush in my mouth. Technically I'm not lying if I can't speak right? Right. I roll my eyes at myself, spit out the toothpaste, and look at Edward in the mirror. "Yes," I answer truthfully. "I'm really nervous."

"Don't be. Alec said he has no problem meeting us there in the morning too. I figure with the two of us, plus your Dad, plus a lawyer…the principal will have to do something. Even if they can just get him out of the building and away from you for a few days I'd be grateful."

"I don't know. It just…it seems very drastic when there isn't really any proof against Riley. What if it isn't him, and we ruin his life?" It's been something that's been bothering me this weekend. I did get a really weird feeling from him, and a few things make sense and add up…but there's always the "what if" part of the situation. I don't want to hurt Riley if he's innocent.

"It'll all work out, okay?" Edward says as he wraps his arms around me from behind. "I promise baby, somehow this will all turn out okay."

I don't know who he's trying to convince – me or himself. I know he thinks that I'm oblivious to his sleepless nights, but I'm not. I know he's barely slept at all since this note shit has started up again. I hope he can at least get some sleep tonight.

A few hours later, I wake up, feeling Edward's tense body against mine. I look at the clock and see that it's almost two in the morning. _Shit_. He still hasn't slept. I feel his cock against me, and I "innocently" graze my fingers against it.

"Bella," he groans out my name – that alone sends a rush of desire through me. "Are you awake?" he whispers.

I decide not to tease him and hum as I wrap my hand around his cock. "Shit," he breathes. I can tell he's waging a war inside his head. He doesn't want to do this tonight – probably thinks I'm worried about tomorrow and he's somehow taking advantage of me.

_Silly man_.

"I know you're worried," I whisper in his ear. "I can feel how tense you are baby. Let's relieve a bit of that, okay? I wanna finish what I started this morning. " Then I lick the shell of his ear, down around his earlobe. He shudders and when his hips jerk up into my hand, I know I have him.

"I love you," he all but whimpers.

I shift us until I'm straddling his hips. "I love you too," I tell him. "I'm not going anywhere. Got it?"

I know he's worried that he's somehow going to lose me. I will never let that happen. He nods. "Okay."

I smile down at him. "Now let me make you feel good." I roll my hips over his erection and moan out loud when the head of his cock grazes my clit through the tiny boy shorts I have on. I rip off Edward's t-shirt that I threw on for convenient pajamas and shimmy out of my underwear, leaving myself completely bare above him.

The only thing that separates us now are his thin boxer briefs. I whimper when I rub myself shamelessly against him. Edward yanks off his boxers, grunting as he does so, not allowing me to move at all. We both hiss when his cock slides against my already soaked pussy.

I reach between us and position him at my entrance before sinking slowly down onto every inch of him. He lets out a guttural groan while I whimper, feeling completely filled by him in the very best of ways.

His hands splay across my ass, gripping my flesh roughly as he moves me back and forth over his cock. It's rough and frenzied, and when we're both at the edge – we slow down. We rock together gently and deeply, savoring every minute of pleasure together.

When I feel the coil in my belly ready to snap, I lean down and press my lips against Edward's, kissing him deeply and allowing him to swallow down my too-loud moans. He follows not long after, and I collapse against him.

He gently pulls out of me, but makes no move to pull me off of him. And thankfully, not long after, I hear his breathing even out as he falls into a deep sleep.

-o-

"WAKE UP! WAKE UP! IT'S DOUGHNUT TIME!"

I groan and elbow Edward. "Get up and deal with the nonsense you created." He chuckles sleepily and wraps his arms around me. Masen continues jumping on the bed behind us, singing about doughnuts. "Edward," I whine. While he fell right asleep last night, I didn't. I was too worried for this morning.

"All right, all right," he sighs. "Mase, how about you go get ready while I get sleepy face over here outta bed. Okay?"

"Okay!"

Once Masen is out of hearing range, he turns to me. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I sigh. "I'm sorry." I give him a sheepish smile. "I'm not trying to be a bitch. I guess I'm just a little nervous."

"I know, but I think he'll really listen to all of us. I think we can get at least a part of this solved today. Okay?" I nod. "Go take a nice hot shower, I'll handle the munchkin downstairs. We'll grab some breakfast on the way. Sound good?"

"Yeah, that sounds great."

I feel better after my twenty minutes of pounding hot water solitude, and even better after breakfast with my guys; but when Edward pulls into the school's parking lot, my nerves are back in full force.

"Relax," Edward whispers as he takes my hand. I take a few deep breaths, grab my purse and my school bag, and exit the car. Edward meets me on my side, Masen on his hip, and reaches for my hand. As soon as his hand is in mine he gives a little squeeze, which makes me feel loads better.

I'm almost feeling completely fine, like I can really handle this, until I spot someone at the front doors of the school. I feel Edward tense beside me as he sees who I see. "Hi Mr. Biers!" Masen says happily as we approach the front of the school.

"Hello Masen," Riley says with a smile planted on his face. I catch myself staring at him, trying to see the monster that everyone claims him to be. Either I'm blind or he's a great actor, because all I see is a teacher saying hello to a student. "Bella," Riley acknowledges me with a nod of his head. "You're looking as beautiful as ever." He gives me a charming smile and Edward clears his throat. "Oh, hi," Riley says, almost…disdainfully. "Bella…" Riley addresses me without breaking eye contact with Edward. "I was wondering…could we do lunch today? Or are you busy?"

My mouth drops open. He's clearly trying to purposefully get a rise out of Edward. I squeeze Edward's hand in what I hope is a reassuring manner, silently telling him that's he's being baited. "No. I'm actually having lunch with my _fiancé _today." Annoyance flashes across Riley's features. Huh. Interesting.

"Daddy is going to have lunch with us Mommy?" Masen asks excitedly.

Riley's eyes widen and he looks between me and Masen. "Mommy?" he asks me.

"Yes. I'm his mother for all intents and purposes and it'll be made legal very soon. Right after the wedding." I tug on Edward's hand and lead him toward the doors. "Not that it's any of your concern," I toss over my shoulder. When my eyes connect with Riley's, I gasp. Because their, in the depths of his eyes, I see pure hatred and rage battling for dominance; I see the hidden monster.

I was trying to defend my family and show Edward that all I want is him. I was trying to avoid a confrontation where Edward would have definitely hit Riley and could have possibly been arrested. I was trying to help, but honestly, as I watch Riley's jaw clench and his fingers twitch before he storms off – I think I just made things a whole lot worse.

-o-

"Thanks for sitting in with them," I tell one of the first grade teacher's assistants. She nods her head and smiles. I give Masen a little wave and head off to the principal's office with Edward. Honestly, as we walk down the hall, the closer we get to the office, the more I feel like a little kid in trouble.

The principal, Mr. Banner isn't a bad guy per se, he's just not…the nicest. After his divorce, he kind of threw himself into his job, becoming what most teachers in the school refer to as a pompous asshole. He's been trying to run the school with an iron fist – making sure no one goes over budget, even on something as trivial as printing paper.

I really don't know how he's going to respond to all of us entering his office and demanding he do something about one of his teachers, who truly hasn't done anything illegal…yet. With no proof tying Riley to the stalking, we're kind of walking in there with shit. Plus…Riley has been here a lot longer than I have. He might tell me that_ I_ need to leave. What would I do if he told me that maybe I should take some time off until this all blows over? I wouldn't be able to. I wouldn't be able to let Masen go to school every single day, knowing Riley is there and I'm not.

Edward's voice breaks up my jumbled thoughts. "Bella?" I look up at him. "Your dad and Alec are in the parking lot now. We're just going to wait for them and then we'll go in. Okay?"

"Mhm," I mumble and nod. I snuggle up against him, just relishing in his comfort and warmth. A few minutes later, Alec and my Dad walk in, and before I know it, we're sitting in front of the principal.

He gives me a tight lipped smile. "Hello Ms. Swan. How can I help you this morning?"

Alec stands up and extends his hand. "Hello Mr. Banner, my name is Alec and I'm representing Ms. Swan." Mr. Banner's face pales and he sputters out a mumbled "what's this about?" before looking back at me. "Well," Alec answers for me. "Ms. Swan may be having some problems with another teacher at this school. Riley Biers?"

"What kind of problems?"

My father stands up. "We believe he's been stalking her."

Mr. Banner's eyes widen. "What makes you think this?"

My father is about to speak, but Edward interrupts him. I roll my eyes, thinking he's going to speak for me as well, and essentially act like I'm not even here, but he surprises me when he turns to me and says, "Bella? How about you explain?"

"Um, right." I clear my throat. "At the beginning of the school year, Mr. Biers and I went out on a date. At the end of that date, I told him I wasn't ready to move on from my previous relationship before I moved back here. He said he understood and would wait for me. After that we remained somewhat friendly. However, I started to date Edward," I reach for his hand and squeeze it. "Recently, over the past few months, I've been receiving notes that say "I won't give up, no matter what." And I believe Riley may be leaving these notes. The last one was found in my classroom, and he showed up seconds after I found it."

"That all seems very circumstantial Ms. Swan, surely you know I can't do anything without-"

"If there needs to be an arrest made or a restraining order filed, that won't be a problem," my father interrupts. Mr. Banner sputters again, becoming more and more annoyed and frustrated. "Now listen Mr. Banner," my father says calmly. "I'm not trying to stir shit up at your school. If you say you need to wait for proof…then all right. But I'm gonna need you to let my daughter have a body guard disguised as a teacher's aide for her and the children's protection. I'll also need to station a deputy on school grounds until this all blows over."

"I…I think we can arrange that," Mr. Banner says with a sigh. "I don't want any trouble. If…if Mr. Biers _is_ involved, and there is definitive proof of that, then I have no problem taking action on my part. I want my school to be a safe place for all involved."

"Thank you Mr. Banner. I'm sorry to have upset you," my father apologizes.

"Here's my card," Alec says as he hands him his business card.

Edward stands and shakes Mr. Banner's hand. "Thank you for hearing us out and thank you for agreeing to those terms. I appreciate your assistance in the protection of my family."

"Oh, of course Mr. Cullen."

After I'm done bitching them out, Alec and my Dad leave. "Thank you," I say quietly to Edward outside of my classroom door. He cocks an eyebrow. "For letting me speak."

He shrugs. "Of course baby. I'm just here for support. Not to take over." He sighs and hugs me to him tightly. "You know I can't really meet you for lunch right?" he asks regrettably. I sigh and nod. "I would if I could, but I have to go to that lunch meeting."

"I know. I just needed an excuse to tell him no."

"Okay. So I'll see you tonight. I'm making dinner," he waggles his eyebrows. "You can provide the dessert."

"I'll be bringing two desserts home," I say coyly.

"Oh yeah?" he asks with a grin. "What kind?"

"Well…for everyone to enjoy, I'm going to pick up an apple pie. And then I'll have a surprise private dessert for you, but only if you're an extra good boy today."

"I'll be on my best behavior," Edward replies with a smirk and a horny gleam in his eye.

I laugh and kiss him goodbye. "I bet you will be."

-o-

"Daddy isn't coming to lunch with you?" Masen asks as they line up along the wall to head to their own lunch and recess time.

"No, not today. I'll see you when you get back from recess. Okay?" He frowns but nods.

When the kids are out of the classroom, I plop down into the comfy chair behind my desk, content to just sit there and do absolutely nothing for the next forty-five minutes. The day hasn't been easy since Edward left. I felt a little better about the whole note business after the meeting with Mr. Banner, but something still feels off. I'll never admit it to any of the guys, but I wish the whole bodyguard thing started today and not tomorrow.

A knock at my door brings my attention to the front of my classroom. My heart jumps up into my throat when I spot Riley entering my room with a single red rose in his hand. "Hey Bella," he says with a smile. "I overheard that Edward couldn't make it for lunch today. Would you like to join me?"

"Um…no. Sorry I can't." I try to battle back the nausea that erupts in my stomach when I think of him "overhearing" my conversation with Edward. Where the hell was he? How much had he heard?

He places the rose down on my desk with a frown on his face. "Why not?"

"I…"

"Have work to do?" he sneers at me. "Don't lie to me Bella." He sighs. "I thought you were different Bella. I really did. I thought you were an original creature. It turns out you're just like every other woman out there. You all lie, manipulate, and cheat." He shakes his head. "I thought I had to find one who wasn't like that, but now I know better. You don't come that way, we men have to mold you to how we want you." He steps closer to me and places both hands on each side of my chair. "Don't worry Bella. I won't give up on you. I'm going to show you…" he leans in and kisses my cheek. "I'm going to show you how good you can be for me." I try not to shudder in disgust as he pulls back slightly to look at me.

My brain is working overtime, trying to figure out how I can get out of this situation. I reach into my pants pocket and grab my phone. I switch it to silent and hit the part of my screen where I know my camera app is. I swipe over, hitting the record button. I keep it in my pocket, knowing it won't matter if nobody can see his face. There's voice recognition shit, right?

"Um…is that rose for me?" I ask shakily. "I love roses. How'd you know?"

He looks from me to the flower and then back to me again. He gives me a bright smile and nods his head. "Yeah it's for you. I saw you buy them before. You remember? You bought a whole dozen for yourself and you brought them home and arranged them all pretty with uh…shit what's it called!" he grabs at his hair angrily. "Baby's breath! You know Bella," he sighs. "You shouldn't have to buy yourself flowers. If you marry me you'll never have to. I'll always buy them for you."

"Have you been leaving me those notes Riley? Was that you?"

He opens his mouth but doesn't say anything. _Get him to admit it!,_ my brain screams at me. "I thought it was my ex – James. I thought he wanted me back. If it wasn't you, maybe it's him…"

"No!" he screams. "It was me Bella. I wanted you to know that I wouldn't give up. That you have other options. I want you to be with me. I'll give you a baby of your own. I won't make you take care of a hand-me-down kid that's not even yours," he scoffs.

I swallow down the angry retort and smile at him. "Really?" He nods. "But Riley…you scared me. Especially the note in the parking lot."

"I never meant to scare you Bella. I love you. I need you. We can be together now. I got rid of him. You don't need to worry." He gives me another bright smile and my stomach drops.

"Got rid of who?"

"Edward," he answers simply.

* * *

**A/N: EVIL CLIFFIE! I know. Do you guys trust me? Deep breaths. If you would like some RPOV, review! ;) P.S: For everyone who celebrates, Happy Easter (or as me and my cousins love to say Happy Zombie Jesus Day!) I'm off to fill some baskets. I mean, um, I'm off to assist the Easter Bunny. ;) Love you, xo.**


	28. Chapter 28

**I know this author's note is massive, but please read it.**

**A/N: I would like to apologize for the delay in posting. I went through a seriously sucky situation with my internet company that forced me to switch providers…and there were issues with cabling and wiring in my apartment…which delayed it even further. I finished this chapter Sunday night and planned to post it Monday…**

**However, Monday was plagued by a very disastrous tragedy that hit my town – Boston, very hard.I've spent these last few days connecting with and making sure all of my friends and family who were involved in the Marathon are okay. My little brother was going to attend with his friend's Aunt…and by a stroke of luck she hurt herself Sunday night and they ended up not going. She stands right where the bomb went off every year. So…yesterday was a very shaky and scary day for my city and my friends and family. My sincerest condolences go out to the families who lost loved ones and to those suffering from serious injuries. We as a city, and our country as a whole, are very tough and resilient people. We will get through this together. Hug and kiss your loved ones tonight and remember to tell them you love them.**

**Whew. Now…**

**I hope you enjoy the new chapter. And please know that I love each and every one of you readers. You put a smile on my face every time you review, follow, favorite, rec, etc. It's the little things in life that we need to enjoy when tragedy like this strikes. We need to appreciate our lives and our families, which I plan on doing every single day. **

**xo**

**Now onto my original author's note…**

**Seeing as how most of you definitely didn't want RPOV because he's such a scumbag (LOL), I don't feel **_**too**_** bad for not being able to get it out there. I do, however, feel bad for leaving you hanging. So here's the deal. Review this chapter and you'll get…well…I'll tell you what you're gonna get at the bottom. And don't even think about scrolling past the story and reading about what you'll get…because you'll ruin this chapter if you do! - tsk tsk –**

***tissue warning***

* * *

**BPOV**

Riley's words echo over and over in my head, taunting me and terrorizing me repeatedly.

_Got rid of him. Got rid of him. Got rid of him._

"Got rid of" can mean lots of things, right? He doesn't mean that he…he didn't…he's not capable of…

I scrunch my eyes shut tightly and ward off all of those terrible thoughts. I refuse to even think them, let alone believe them to be true. "Riley?" I ask him, trying like hell to keep my voice from wavering. "What do you mean "got rid of him"; what did you do to Edward?"

Riley shakes his head and smiles. "Oh, don't worry about that now, love. Just know that he won't be in our way." He grabs my free hand and pulls me up until I'm standing, pressed up against him. I try not to show the disgust on my face, knowing it won't help me – _or Edward_ – in this situation. Riley looks down at the watch on his wrist and frowns. "We need to get going."

"Going? Where are we going?"

"We gotta leave baby," he says solemnly. "I know you like it here, with your dad being here and all, but…" he shakes his head. "It's just not safe. He'll try to find you, and I can't have that."

"Of course my dad will try to find me…he's _my dad_, Riley. I'm all he's got. Plus he has the police station behind him…he'll never stop looking for me."

Riley nods. "I know. I considered that. Anyway," he continues, like we're talking about the fucking weather. "I wasn't talking about your dad. I was talking about Edward." Hope blooms in my chest. I struggle to not let any emotions show. I can't let him know how happy the mere thought of Edward being alive is to me. "I hope one day your dad will join us – or at least come and visit us. I know how important he is to you."

Riley's voice brings me out of my thoughts. "Where are we going Riley?" I realize that my phone is still recording. I need to get him to tell me where the fuck we're going, and hopefully, I'll be able to send the video to Edward or Jake or my dad; fuck anybody would be helpful at this point – even Tanya. Well…maybe not Tanya. I have a feeling she'd just cheer Riley on from the sidelines, or worse – help him.

"We're going to California. I bought us a house there." He smiles. "I've been looking into a really great elementary school too. I've set up an interview for you. I was already offered a position, and they were so impressed with me, that when I mentioned that my wife is also a teacher, they jumped at it. The principal said if you're half as good as I am, he wants you. And you are, so this interview is really nothing more than a formality." He shrugs and smiles down at me, clearly loving his fucking plan.

And um, his _wife_?

I want to kill him.

He's so fucking delusional.

I swallow back the retort and force a smile. "Oh. Wow. It sounds like you've thought about this…a lot."

He chuckles, but there's no humor in it. "Yes, I have. But I've had plenty of time to myself to think and plan, haven't I? You, Isabella, have been a busy woman. You've been very busy falling in love with a man that's not me, and caring of a bastard child that's not _mine_; that's not even _yours_! I took you out on a beautiful date, and showed you my heart. You told me you couldn't handle it right then, and what did I do? I _understood_, Bella. I told you that I would wait for you. And what did you do? You crushed my fucking heart and tore my soul right from my body."

His jaw is clenched tightly and his fingers are twitching like crazy. I realize that's the exact behavior he was showing outside this morning. He's feeling stressed and pissed. But you know what? I don't fucking care. So…of course…I open my big mouth. Because really? This is me we're talking about here.

"Are you fucking serious? Are you that fucking delusional? Are you that out of your goddamn mind? I just don't get it. Why me? What is so great about me? Huh?" I don't give him time to answer. I slap my hands against his chest, pushing him back slightly. "I'm plain, okay? I have brown hair and brown eyes. I don't have huge tits. I'm all around average. So, _please_ Riley. Tell me why you're doing all of this! Why do you want to completely ruin my life?"

He doesn't answer any of my questions. Well…at least not with words. He decides to answer my question with his hand, by backhanding me right across the face. I wish I could tell you what happened next, but everything goes completely black.

-o-

My eyes open slowly, but the harsh light that floods them causes me to shut them much faster than they opened. I groan and roll over. Well, I try to anyway. I quickly realize that I can't move at all. Panic swells in my chest when I also realize that I can't move because I'm tied up. I try to scream, but no sound comes out at all. That's when I realize I'm gagged; which does nothing to quell the anxiety taking over my body.

"Oh, you're awake." I hear Riley's voice say from…somewhere. "I'm sorry love," he sighs and beeps his horn…a horn! We're in a car. "We're not there yet, so unfortunately, you need to go back to sleep." He pulls the car over and turns in his seat. He reaches across to the passenger seat and grabs a white cloth, dumping a brown bottle into it. He leans over into the backseat and reaches for me with it. I silently scream and wriggle my body to try and get away from him; but it's futile. No sound comes out and in the small backseat, I have nowhere to go.

My world goes black again seconds after the cloth covers my face.

-o-

"Bella…"

I groan and whine as I try to fight off consciousness.

"Wake up, love. It's time to wake up for me."

The muffled voice keeps prodding me, bringing me out of unconsciousness. I try to battle back the fear as realization dawns on me. I'm with Riley. In California. The realization makes me try even harder to battle consciousness. I don't want to wake up to this new fucked up reality. I want to stay right where I am. Safe in my dream; with Edward and Masen – with my family.

I don't want to wake up in the arms of some delusional psychopath.

"Fuck off, asshole," I mumble. I refuse to open my eyes.

"OOOH! Mommy said a bad word, Daddy!"

My eyes snap open as the sweetest voice in the world registers in my ears. "M-Masen?" My voice has lost the false bravado it contained when I was trying to be bitchy and tough; when I was trying to deal with that fact that I was stuck with Riley. But now? Seeing my baby sitting right there, having him within reach…my voice is heavy with unshed tears.

"Mommy!" he launches himself at me and snuggles into my neck.

"Easy, Mase. Watch out for Mommy's wires."

I open my eyes and see Edward's beautiful tear-stained face inches away from mine. "Edward?" I croak. Am I dreaming? Am I hallucinating? What the fuck did Riley give me? Wait. Wires? I look down and see tons of IVs and hospital equipment attached to my skin. "Edward? What's going on?"

"Oh my God, Bella," he sobs out my name as he buries his face into my neck, careful not to pull at any of the tubes. "Oh my God, oh my God," he continues to chant. I reach up and tangle my fingers in his hair, anchoring him to me. "You're awake. You're really awake."

"Baby, you're scaring me."

"You're scaring me too, Daddy. We're apposed to be happy because Mommy is awake. That's what we was praying for, right?" Masen asks shakily. I look over to him and see the tears in his eyes. He's such a big boy, trying to be strong and hold them back.

"Oh baby," I cry out, letting my own tears fall. "Come here." I hold out my arms to him and he snuggles into my free side, burying his face into my neck just like his father. I don't know what the fuck happened or where I am; but right now, snuggling with my two boys is enough to lull me back to the comfort of sleep.

-o-

"How is she?" a familiar voice asks. I can't place it. Everything is too drowned out. I can barely hear them as it is. I feel like I'm underwater.

"She woke up," Edward says. "She fucking woke up Alice!" Edward whisper-yells.

"Oh my God! That's so great!" I can hear rustling of fabric. "Why don't you go home? You need to take a shower and get a few hours of sleep."

"I slept fine with Bella and Masen. I don't need to go home yet."

"Edward," Alice says in her "not-taking-no-for-an-answer" tone. "You need to take a nice hot shower and sleep in your own bed for a few hours. Plus, Masen needs a bath and a good night's rest."

Edward sighs. "You're right. Will you stay with her? And call me if anything at all happens?"

Alice lets out a small laugh. "Edward, it will be fine. I'll stay with her until you guys get back. Don't worry. Charlie won't let anyone enter this room that isn't going supposed to enter."

My eyes flutter open at the mention of my dad. Edward notices that I'm awake and is right by my side in an instant. "Bella," he sighs out my name before placing a sweet and tender kiss against my clammy forehead. "How are you, love? Are you okay? Do you need anything? I should call the doctor…"

I laugh. Well, I try to laugh…and it turns into a coughing fit. "Shit! Bella. Are you okay? Talk to me baby."

"Stop smothering her, Edward. She's fine." I smile up at Alice. "Hey honey. I missed you." She leans down and kisses my cheek. I reach out and take her hand, giving her a reassuring squeeze. "You really scared us, you know."

"What happened?" I ask, not even sure that I _want_ to know the answer.

Alice opens her mouth, but Masen starts stirring beside me. "Mommy?" he asks sleepily as he sits up and rubs his eyes.

"Yeah, baby."

His eye snap open and he stares at me wide-eyed. His lip starts trembling and he launches himself at me. "Ow," I whimper as he hits a particularly sore part of my chest.

"I-I'm sorry!" he cries against my hospital gown. "I didn't mean to hurt you! I just…I thought I was having a really good dream that you waked up. But you're really awake! I missed you so much Mommy." He places his lips right next to my ear. "Daddy doesn't cook good like you do."

I let out a small laugh and hug him to me tightly.

"I heard that," Edward mutters. "C'mon champ. You and I are gonna head home for a little bit."

"No! We can't! The bad man will get her again if we're not here!"

I swallow down the lump in my throat and demand that my heart calm down so it doesn't beat right out of my chest. So it wasn't some sort of fucked up dream. I _was_ with Riley. What happened after he drugged me?

"Masen," Edward says softly as he rubs Masen's back soothingly. "Mommy isn't going anywhere ever again. The bad man won't hurt her or take her from us. Grandpa Charlie and all of the other police officers are right outside of Mommy's room, remember?" He nods, but makes no sign of releasing his death grip on me. "Plus Uncle Em and Jake are outside. Remember?"

"Yeah," he mumbles and sits up. I reach for his hand and hold it tightly, making him smile sheepishly at me. "I love you Mommy. Me and Daddy will be back soon to protect you with everyone else." He looks to Edward. "Right, Daddy?"

"Right buddy. How about you go outside with Auntie Alice and make sure that everyone is doing their jobs?"

Masen's face turns completely serious and he nods, determined. "I will." He turns back to me and gives me a huge hug and kiss, being more careful not to hurt me. "I love you Mommy."

"I love you so much baby. Everything is going to be okay."

Once Alice exits the room with Masen, Edward descends. He scoots into bed beside me, snuggling his entire body up against mine gingerly, watching carefully to not pull at any tubes or wires. We don't say anything for a few minutes. We just lay there silently, holding each other like the other is going to disappear.

"What happened?" I ask quietly, finally breaking the silence. He doesn't answer. "Edward?" He just shakes his head. "Edward, what's wrong?"

"I…I can't talk about it Bella. I'm sorry. I just…I can't. Not yet. If you need to know now…maybe Alice can tell you?" He looks up at me with pleading eyes. "I know I sound like a weak, pathetic loser…but I just…" he sighs. "I can't."

Fear and anger fill his eyes along with unshed tears, and I know I can't press him on it. I need to know what happened, so I _will_ ask Alice when he leaves, but I need to hear it from him too. "Okay baby."

He leans in to kiss me, but stops, making me frown. "Can I kiss you?"

I roll my eyes. "Of course you can. Why would you even ask me?"

He shrugs and lets out a small laugh. "You have no idea how great it is to see you roll your damn eyes."

I smile at him and run my fingers through his hair before pulling him gently towards me and pressing my lips lightly against his. It's chaste and sweet but so, _so_ powerful. "I love you," I whisper when he pulls back.

"I love you so much baby. Are you okay with us leaving? We can stay if you want."

I'm so tempted to tell him to stay, but then I remember his conversation with Alice while they thought I was still asleep, so I shake my head. "I'm fine. Go home and get some rest. I'm sure I'll have plenty of visitors."

He laughs again and it's such an amazing sound to hear. When I was in my classroom with Riley, and he was talking about us leaving…the thought of never seeing Edward again had entered my mind briefly. I don't know what I would do without this man, and I sincerely hope I'll never have to find out.

"You'll have tons of visitors," he agrees. "Your dad is dying to get in here and talk to you. You fell asleep before he could talk to you when you first woke up. He's been a wreck, Bella. I know he's probably trying to make it past Alice to get back in here."

I let out a small laugh that thankfully sounds a lot more like me. "Okay," I sigh. "Get going so you can get back." A lone tear slips out before I can stop it. Edward leans in and kisses it, licking his lips and swallowing it down. I have no idea why, but it sends a rush of desire through me.

I roll my eyes at myself internally. _So not the time or place for that, Bella_.

"I'll see you soon," he promises.

My hospital door doesn't even shut completely before my dad is standing in my room, staring at me intently. His arms are wrapped around himself tightly and he looks like he's literally holding himself together. "Dad," I choke out. His mustache twitches and then…the tears flow.

I remember seeing my dad cry before, mostly over my mother, but I've never seen him sob. Not until this moment. He stumbles his way over to my hospital bed and collapses onto his knees, resting his head on the bed and reaching for my hands. I give them to him willingly and look down through my tear-filled eyes at the broken man who barely resembles my strong, Police Chief father. "Daddy…"

His head snaps up at the name I haven't used since I was a little girl, trying to smooth talk my father into giving me what I wanted. "Bells…" One of his hands reaches up and strokes my cheek lovingly. "Thank God you're awake. You're okay. You're really okay, right?" I nod, not able to speak anymore. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "Sue told me you would be okay, but I was so worried Bells. I've never been so scared and lost in my entire life. I thought losing your mother was hard Bella. I thought when she left me…that losing her was the worst thing that would ever happen to me." He shakes his head and laughs humorlessly before looking back at me. "I was so fuckin' wrong. The pain of actually losing her doesn't even compare to the mere thought of losing you."

The tears are streaming down my face as I lean over and rest my head on my father's shoulder. We stay that way for a while, him soaking my sheets and me soaking his shirt. "I love you, Dad."

"I love you Bells. More than you'll ever know." He kisses my forehead and stands up, pulling the hospital chair as close as possible before sitting down. He holds my hand and runs soothing circles along my skin. He frowns when he traces the IV. "Do you remember anything?"

I shake my head. "Not very much. I don't remember anything after he drugged me. The last thing I remember was being in my classroom…" My dad nods, silently telling me to continue. "I have no idea how he got me out of the building like that. Surely someone had to have seen us?"

He shakes his head. "No one saw you. I have no idea how he got you out. Jake showed up to take you to lunch. He didn't like the fact that the detail wouldn't start until the following day. He saw your phone on the floor and checked it out. It was open to the camera app and he played the video…" he sighs. "Thank God for that fucking video. That was genius Bells." He squeezes my hand and gives me a small smile. "He called me right away and he called Edward right after but couldn't get a hold of him. He thought maybe you were with him. I put an amber alert out on you and Riley, along with his car."

"When did you find me? Where did you find me?"

"I didn't. Edward did."

* * *

**A/N: Okay. So…Bella is safe. Edward is safe. I know there are a lot of questions left unanswered…it's supposed to be that way! I promise, you will get answers soon. How, you ask? By reviewing and receiving some…dun dun dun, EPOV! Edward POV will take place after Bella was abducted by Riley. You'll see what happens through his eyes and his mind…**

**Of course, if you don't review, you'll still find out what happened…next chapter-ish. So don't worry. You won't be left out. However…the EPOV is really good. How do I know? I already wrote it! I got a lot of writing done, even though I couldn't upload it. I know some of you are probably like… "Why didn't you go somewhere else to upload it? There's plenty of free wifi places!" Yes. Yes, there is. But…you see…I have four boys, three of which are teenagers to care for. SO…enough explanation there, yes? Lol. **

**I truly love you guys. Thanks for being so patient. I hope if any of you are/were in the Boston area that you and your loved ones are safe. xo**


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: Hi! Okay, this is NOT a new chapter. Sorry. I didn't meant to fake you out. It's just that…well this EPOV "outtake" morphed into an almost-chapter. So…I figured it would be easier to just upload it here. Especially since there's a whole lotta cursing…and it'd get bleeped the fuck out. See? No *** here. LOL. Thank you for the awesome reviews! It means the world to me that you girls are thinking of little ol' me. Fortunately they caught the bastard. I'm breathing a little easier now. Anywho! Enjoy! Drop a review and let me know what you think of Edward's adventure.  
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**EPOV**

When my phone rings for the third time in as many minutes, I decide I should stop silencing it in my pocket and actually answer it. "Gentlemen, I'm so sorry. I need to take this call, it's important."

"Of course, of course. We're pretty much done here anyway," Mr. Blake says as he stands. "This is such a great project Edward. We're so proud to be a part of it."

I smile, a bit sheepishly, and shake his hand. "Thank you, Sir."

When I'm outside, I check my phone. My heart sinks when I realize that all of my missed calls are from Charlie. Dread fills me as the phone rings…and rings…_and rings_. "Goddamn it!"

Just when I'm about to have a complete fucking meltdown, outside of a fancy as fuck restaurant no less…Charlie answers. "Edward? Edward, are you there?"

"Charlie! Charlie, what's wrong? Did something happen at the school? Are Bella and Masen okay?"

"Masen is here with me." He pauses, and I don't like that shit one fucking bit. "Bella…" he sighs heavily and I know the next words out of his mouth are going to change my entire world. "Bella's gone Edward. Riley took her."

My knees buckle and I crash to the ground. I cradle the phone in my hands, squeezing it tightly and trying to battle back the nausea that wants to expel itself from my stomach. "No, no, no._ Fucking no_!" I don't know how I do it, but I manage to get the fuck up off of the concrete. My legs somehow carry me to my car. I throw myself inside it at the same time that I remember that Charlie is still on the phone.

"How do you know this?" I ask him as I search for my keys. "Goddamn fuckin' keys," I grumble as I search my pockets. "Finally," I sigh when I find them in the inside pocket of my blazer. "How do you know he has her? Are you sure?"

"Jake got worried and went to the school. He was going to have lunch with her. He found her phone on the classroom floor and watched to the video that Bella recorded. She's a fuckin' genius, Edward. In the video, Riley talks about taking her to California. He has about an hour head start but there's an amber alert out on Bella, Riley, and his car. He talked about getting them both jobs at some school, and we're tracking that down now." He pauses before saying shakily, "We'll find her, Edward."

And then it hits me. This is his daughter. The only thing he's got left. "We'll find her Charlie. I fucking promise you. He _will not_ take her from me, from _us_. I'll be there soon."

I try to start my car, but it fucking won't start. I try again and again and – _nothing_. Frustration takes over and I repeatedly smack my fists on the steering wheel. "Edward?" a worried voice asks me. I look out of my window and see Mr. Blake. "Are you all right, Son?"

"No," I choke out, finally overcome with the emotion I've been holding off. "I'm not all right. My…my fiancé has been kidnapped by a fucking psycho that's been stalking her. I should have been there." I look at him desperately. "_I should have fucking been there for her_!"

"Son, relax. It's going to be all right. Get out of the car, Edward. We'll try and find a way to fix it." He looks around and whistles. "Rocco! Come here, please?" A valet comes running over to us and looks at me with apprehension. "I need your help. Could you check under my friend's hood? His car will not start and he needs to get somewhere quickly."

"Of course, Mr. Blake." Rocco side steps the two of us and opens the hood of my car. "Um…Mr. Blake…" he trails off. Mr. Blake and I walk around to the front of the car and when I see the note pinned to my engine, my blood fucking boils.

_She's mine now, Edward. _

Fucking Riley!

"Mr. Banner…he fucked with my car. He's already got a head start on us. Can I please take your car? I'll be at the Forks Police Department. You can pick it up there."

"Yes…yes…of course. I'm so sorry, Edward. Good luck. Everything will work out."

I nod stiffly hoping beyond hope that he's somehow right, and take his offered keys, heading in the direction the valet points to. Once I'm in his car, I speed toward the station, making great time. I burst through the doors, and the second Masen spots me, he launches himself at me. "Daddy! Daddy! Mommy got taken away by a bad man!" He sobs into my chest, soaking my shirt in seconds.

"Shh, shh. It's okay baby. It'll all be okay. I promise. I will find your Mommy, okay?"

He sighs and continues to sniffle before finally relaxing enough to drift off to sleep in my arms.

-o-

"You're sure?" I ask Charlie for the second time.

He narrows his eyes at me in annoyance but nods. "Yes. We're sure. We got into contact with the school and they confirmed that Riley is scheduled to start there in a month, and his wife was scheduled to have an interview the following week."

"His fucking _wife_?" I holler, making the entire station look up. "He told them that she was his _wife_?"

"Calm down, Edward. Let's just focus on the facts, okay? We're waiting on the school to get back to us with an address. We know it's in Pasadena."

"Then I'm going there now."

"Edward," he grabs my shoulder. "The police in Pasadena are going to handle it."

I pull away from him and look over my shoulder. "Fuck that. Text me the address the second you know it. Please Charlie. He's already had her for an entire goddam day."

He sighs and nods. "You're good with Masen til my Mom gets here, right?"

He nods again and says nothing until I'm at the door. "Get my girl back, Edward."

I say nothing and push the door open, hoping like hell I can do just that.

-o-

"Edward, you need to wait for the police, Son."

"Fuck that, Charlie. The school told them the address and they haven't done shit. I'm heading to the address right now. They don't care. Bella obviously isn't a priority."

He sighs and I know what's coming. "Edward, they're waiting to get a hostage negotiator. We don't know what's going on and you can't just go running in there without knowing the details."

"Fuck the details Charlie. I'm getting my girl."

I hang up, trying not to feel guilty. The cops are waiting for a hostage negotiator. Seriously? How about you just do your fucking job and arrest the scum bag. I scoff as I drive. "I don't need their help," I say to myself. "I fucking got this."

When I pull up to the address, I make sure my gun is tucked safely into the back of my jeans. As I get closer to the house, I hear someone yelling – Riley. "Bella! I told you to wake up, love."

When I reach the door, I gently jiggle the handle, and when I realize the idiot has it unlocked, I enter the house quietly. It's not a terrible house, it's modest and clean, but my Bella deserves so much more. And that's exactly what she is – she's _my_ Bella. Not this asshole's.

I make my way silently down the hall and turn the corner, following Riley's voice. "I didn't want it to be this way Bella, but you've left me no choice. I mean, what was I supposed to do? The one time I let you stay awake, you wouldn't stop screaming. I can't have that, you know that. One day you won't want to scream…one day you'll love me." He sighs and I finally see him. "But I've had to see you…and be around you…for two whole days Bella. I want to be a gentleman, but I'm only human. I need you." And that's when the scene before me registers.

Bella is lying naked on the small leather loveseat in the middle of the otherwise bare living room. Riley is kneeling beside it, only wearing a pair of boxers. Bile rises in my throat as I realize what the fuck he's been talking about and what the fuck he planned to do to my goddamn fiancé.

I step into the living room and reach for my gun. The second Riley hears the cocking of my gun, his head snaps around and his eyes widen. "What the fuck are you doing here? How did you find us?"

I shake my head. "That's not important Riley. What do you think _you_ are doing? Who the fuck do you think you are?" I aim my gun right at his head, knowing I can hit him right between his eyes with no difficulty at all. I know I can't kill him though – unfortunately. I want to have a future with Bella and our son, and killing this scumbag would prevent that from happening.

"D-Don't shoot me," he mutters pathetically as he stands. He shakes and flinches as I walk toward him, and when I notice the prominent bulge beneath his thin boxers…I snap. The second I'm in range, my fist connects with his face. He falls to the floor immediately, pulling his legs up and cradling them, effectively lying in the fetal position. I give him a swift kick, hitting him right in the back of the head.

Bella groans and my eyes snap to her unconscious frame. I make my way over to her, crawling the few feet, holding my breath as I do so, feeling intense fear grip at my insides. When I'm close enough, my eyes roam over her naked body. My eyes land on finger-print-like bruises on the insides of her thighs, the scratches along her body where he tore her clothes from her, and the welt above her right eye. I run my thumb over her chapped, cut lips as tears roll down my face.

"What did he do to you, baby? You fought back, didn't you? You're so strong." I lean down and place a kiss on her sweat-stained forehead and kiss her tear-stained cheeks.

She groans again and her eyes flinch shut even tighter. "Riley, no, please no…" she whimpers, effectively breaking my heart into a million fucking pieces.

I've gone through a lot of shit in my life - the shit I've seen in battle would scar anyone for life; fuck, it's done exactly that to me. I can remember it all with such clarity; bodies riddled with bullets, bombs going off feet from innocent children, my best friend dying right before my eyes – all of it, every single second of it can cripple me instantly. But none of that, none of that compares with the emotions swirling around in me right now. None of it can even come close to the pain crushing my heart and destroying my stomach. Looking down at the woman I love, the woman I know, without a shadow of a doubt is my soul mate…seeing her bloody, bruised, and broken…

That's what it takes for me to finally snap completely. I can almost feel myself disconnect, letting a once dormant monster from within take over totally.

I whirl around and stalk over toward Riley's limp and unconscious body. I let myself drop to my knees with a loud thud. I reach across and grip his shoulders, pulling him onto his back. I grab a fist full of his greasy hair and smile evilly as I consider all of the things I can do to him.

I was right and Charlie was wrong. The cops around here don't give a fuck. They've been sitting on this information, the information that would lead them here. They could have prevented some of this shit. They've known for fucking hours! All of the frustration and rage bursts out of me, and before I know what's happening, someone is yelling and pulling me off of Riley's bloodied body.

I search frantically for Bella and when my eyes find her, I watch them load her frail, injured body onto a stretcher. And that's when blissful darkness takes over.


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: So sorry for the delay! I feel like I've been saying that so often and I hate it. :( However…RL has been kicking my ass and little league season has started…which means half of my life is now spent at the baseball field with three kids on different teams. Blah. But I love you all and thank you so much for your understanding and support. I have a new writing schedule, where I deliberately put time aside to write and have my "me-time." So there shouldn't be any more delays…but who knows? I will try my **_**very**_** best to get this out on time each week. Love you! xo**

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**BPOV**

"How are you feeling, Slugger?"

I roll my eyes but smile up at Alice. "I'm okay…I guess. I don't know. I don't know _anything_ and that's the problem."

She frowns. "What do you mean?"

"I mean…I don't remember _anything, _Ali. All that I really_ can_ remember is being in my classroom with Riley…and then there are bits and pieces of things; things that I'm not sure are real, and things that seem like they _shouldn't_ or _can't_ be real at all. Does that make any sense?"

Alice must see the stress and frustration clearly on my face, because she nods and agrees that it makes all the sense in the world. She's totally lying, because everything I just said? Yeah it doesn't make any fucking sense to me at all. "Do you have any questions?" she asks me gently, caressing my hand soothingly.

"Um…" I shrug. I don't know why, but I feel awkward…and scared; I feel really fucking scared. A part of me doesn't want to know what happened, and another part of me knows I need to sort out the nightmares from the reality, otherwise I'm going to drive myself insane. "Yeah. I do."

"Okay," she takes a deep breath. "Shoot."

"What the fuck happened?"

Despite the situation and topic of discussion, Alice barks out a laugh. "Well, damn, Bella. Can you narrow it down just a bit? A lot of shit happened! First of all, do you know how long you were out for?" I shake my head. All humor drains from her face as she answers me. "Three whole days. Seventy-two hours of pure hell, Bella, for all of us. I've never been so scared in my entire life."

My mind spins. "I was out for three days?" Alice nods solemnly. "It was that bad? What happened? What did Riley do?"

"He had you for a couple of days. He took you to California, Bells. He had a whole entire life set up for you. When you recorded your conversation with Riley…it was the smartest thing you ever did." She huffs out a breath. "It helped so much. Charlie was able to track down the school…which had the address…and Edward was there hours later. The Pasadena police – that's where Riley took you – were waiting to figure out how to handle the situation. Edward wasn't having any of it. He went straight to the house to get you and…"

"And?" I prod. "Alice, please. I need to know. Edward said that he can't tell me and-"

"I know he can't," she says sadly. "He walked in on…on Riley…when he was…you were…" a tear rolls down her cheek and her hand grips mine painfully.

I choke on a breath. "He…he r-raped me?"

"No!" she says quickly, wiping away a stray tear. "He was going to…he was literally probably seconds away from it when Edward got there. But there were bruises all over your body…there are some on your thighs. We don't know if he tried before and you fought him off, but the hospital did a rape kit and it came back negative." Alice suddenly launches herself at me and the second her arms are around me, I realize why. I'm sobbing uncontrollably, trying to suck in air that just doesn't want to enter my lungs. "Shh, shh. It's okay Bells. You fought that sick fuck off. Whether you remember it or not – you were strong and brave and you survived. Do you understand me?"

I nod into her neck, gripping her to me tightly. "That's why Edward couldn't talk about it…" I mumble a few minutes later. "He said I needed to ask you if I really wanted to know."

She nods and pulls back. "When he saw Riley with you like that…he snapped. He beat the shit out of Riley. He almost killed him, Bella. The Pasadena Police had to put him in handcuffs until he calmed down, but they're looking at it as defense, as him protecting you, and of course the DA isn't going to file charges."

Relief swells in my chest. Edward not getting in trouble after this whole shit storm is a small ray of hope in the darkness that seems to be surrounding us all of the time. "How has he been? How was he while I was out? _Why_ was I out?"

"Riley hit you in the head a few times, as well as using drugs to keep you unconscious. They thought you were stable and helicoptered you back up here. But then you had a seizure and wouldn't wake up…and they thought at one point you might have some internal bleeding…" she sighs and takes a deep breath before continuing. "The doctors kept you in the coma to help your body heal itself. The doctors didn't want to have to face swelling in your brain and things like that…I don't know Bella. I'm not a doctor. It all happened so quickly…and I'm just…a scared best friend."

Just then the door flies open, revealing a raccoon-looking Jessica. "What the fuck!" She storms into the room with Mike hot on her heels. "How in the fuck did I not know that you were awake?" Her eyes are bright and wild with anger.

"Jess-"

"No, Alice! No! Shut your mouth. You don't get to talk to me."

"Jessica!" Alice shouts as she grips her shoulders. "Look at me. Take a deep breath."

"She's been like this the whole way. I couldn't console her…" he shakes his head, looking helpless. "I tried to calm her down while I was driving but she wouldn't listen to a word I said. She was rambling on and on and not making much sense. The second I told her that Bella was finally awake she just…lost it."

"She's in shock, Mike," Alice explains. "There's nothing you could've really done. Don't feel bad. Can you do me a favor?" He nods enthusiastically, looking desperate to do anything at all to help. "Can you run out and get her a Frappuccino and a muffin? She needs something in her stomach. We'll take real good care of her."

"Okay."

"Jess…are you okay?" Her eyes snap to mine when she hears the sound of my voice. "I'm okay, Jess. It's okay."

She's at my bedside in three strides, sobbing against my neck. "Bella…oh my God, Bella! I've been such a terrible friend to you. I've been so involved with my fucking relationship with Mike that I didn't even realize what you were going through and what that sick motherfucking bastard was doing! I'm such a good people reader. I should have known, fuck, I would have known if I paid a speck of attention to someone besides my goddamn self!"

"Jessica Stanely!" I grab her face in my hands. "Stop it right fucking now." I gather up all of the strength I can and speak to her calmly, but firmly, never looking away from her, hoping she'll see the truth in my eyes. "None of this is your fault. None of this is anybody's fault. Okay? There's nothing anyone could have done to have any of this turn out differently. Riley is a sick man who would have gotten what he wanted in whatever way he could. And don't say that you've only cared about yourself. I've been feeling the same way. I think all of us just got a little _too _involved in our own lives and there's nothing wrong with that."

She tries to speak but I shake my head and Alice cuts in. "She's right, Jess. We just all got excited with things in our own lives and that's not bad. We're supposed to branch out; grow up – move on with our own lives. We should keep in touch way more than we have lately, that's true. But listen," she sits down on my bed with us and takes one of our hands in her own. "Just because we don't spend every second of the day with each other anymore doesn't mean we love each other any less. Okay?"

She nods, her lip trembling, and takes a deep breath. "O-Okay." She looks at me with tears in her eyes. "Are you really okay?" I nod. "I'm so sorry." She places her hand over my mouth when I open it to tell her to knock it off. "No. Listen. I really am sorry. You're both right," she rolls her eyes and we both giggle. "But I think I just got way too into my new relationship I was just so excited to finally have someone, you know?"

"I was sad that you weren't around for Easter," I admit. Suddenly I realize that I haven't spoken to her since before then. "Did you have fun with Mike's family?"

She nods and smiles. "Um…"

"What?"

"I have some news but I don't know if this is the best time to bring it up…"

"Spill it," Alice and I say at the same exact time, in the same no-bullshit tone.

Jessica chuckles nervously and bites her lip. "Okay." She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a gorgeous princess cut ring and slips it on her finger.

"Oh my fucking God!"

"Holy shit that's huge!"

"I know," she breathes. "He surprised me with it…I wasn't expecting it at all. But I'm so excited."

"Wow, Jess," I breathe out. "I'm so happy for you! This is the best news ever! We all need great news right now."

"She's right, Jess. This is _so_ needed. Wow. You're both getting married! We'll all finally be off the market!"

Jess and I both roll our eyes at Alice. "Don't roll your eyes at me! You two aren't allowed to be cynical anymore when you're just as in love as I am. Oh! We should totally do a double-"

"No!" Jess and I yell at the same time. "Alice," I speak slowly, hoping to not hurt her feelings. "If you say wedding, I will kill you dead, right now. I am not – no offense Jess – sharing my day and doing a double wedding. I don't care who it's with."

"Oh, no offense taken, Bells. I wouldn't want to share my day with anyone either. Besides, we're getting married at the courthouse as soon as you're outta here."

"I wasn't going to say wedding!" Alice pouts and crosses her arms over her chest. "I was going to say we should do a double bachelorette party! And you are _not_ getting married at the freaking courthouse Jessica!"

"Yes I am, Alice. That's what we both want. We don't want a huge thing. We just want to be a family."

"Fine. But we need to do the double bachelorette party! Please?!"

Jess and I both look at each other before nodding solemnly. "Don't look so depressed. It'll be amazing. I have so much to do!" And…she's up and bouncing. What the hell did I just get myself into?

There's a knock at the door, and Rosalie pokes her head in. "Hey! You're awake." She gives me a watery smile. "Can I join the party?"

"Come in, come in! Look at my ring!"

"Oh wow. That's so pretty! Congrats." She gives Jess a quick hug and kneels down next to my bed. "Hey," she says softly. "How are you?"

I bite my lip and shrug. "Okay I guess."

"Hey Jess, let's go share the good news with everyone else."

I give them a smile, silently thanking them for the time with Rose.

The second the door clicks, something clicks in Rose, and the tears start flowing. "Shh," I run my fingers through her hair. "It's okay."

After a few seconds she looks up and gives me a small smile. "God, look at me. I'm sorry. I don't know what just happened." I shrug. "I love you Bella. You are so much more than my brother's fiancé. You have saved him and my nephew in so many ways and you…" she blows out a breath and takes my hand, lifting herself up to sit gingerly on my hospital bed. "You are my best friend. I haven't gotten along with many girls in my life but you…yeah, you're my best friend. I don't know how I would've made it until Emmett got home if it wasn't for you."

"You're my best friend too, Rose." I want to laugh because she looks so nervous and shy, something I haven't even really seen on Rosalie Cullen's face before. "You have seriously blended right in with my group of friends and I know all three of us consider you a best friend. But you know what else?"

"What?"

"You're also my soon-to-be sister."

She grins at me then before wrapping me up in a big hug. "I love you Bella."

"I love you too."

-o-

"Yo Emmett! You got those bags man?"

"Yeah!" Emmett calls from the back of his Jeep. He hasn't said one word to me since I saw him at the hospital. Truth be told, I was looking forward to my mini reunion with him the most. Everyone else had made their way into my hospital room to talk to me; except for him.

I ignore the pang in my heart and decide to take it out on someone safe. I huff and cross my arms over my chest. "I can walk Jake. You know, I have these things…called legs. Have you heard of them?"

"Oh shut it Bells. You know you love being pampered…and don't even get me started on how much you just _love_ being the center of attention."

"I will pinch your nipple, Jacob Black. I'm in the perfect position for it. Keep fucking with me." He barks out a laugh but looks nervous, as he should. He's carrying me bridal-style into mine and Edward's house, with a grumbling Edward following us in.

"Edward, tell him that I can walk, please."

"She can walk Jacob." I smile gratefully at him. My smile falls just as quickly as it formed when he keeps talking. "But keep carrying her." He gives me a wink and I stick my tongue out at him. "Just because you can walk doesn't mean you should. I love you baby, but you're a klutz. I'd be carrying you myself if I could." He holds up his cast covered hand and quickly runs over to me when he sees my eyes tear up yet again.

I hadn't noticed his injury when I'd first woken up in the hospital, and after he left, no one else wanted to tell me about Edward breaking his hand off of Riley's face. "It's okay love," he whispers against my ear. He kisses my cheek sweetly and pulls back, allowing Jacob to finish carrying me up the stairs.

"You two are gross," he grumbles as he pushes our bedroom door open. I let out a laugh and he rolls his eyes. "You are! I feel like my teeth are gonna fall out from all the sweetness."

"Oh, like you and Leah are any better! You're just as bad, maybe worse." Edward winks at me before leaving the room to give Jake and me some privacy.

"Nah, never," he scoffs as he lays me down on the bed. "So listen…" he runs his hand through his hair. "I know the whole best man thing is supposed to be…you know…a man, but um…will you please be my best man? No! My best woman. Fuck it, will you be my best person? Cause fuck, Bella, you're the best person I know, penis or not."

I can't help myself. Before I can stop them, giggles are exploding out of me. "I'm sorry," I gasp out. I wipe a few stray tears – the product of not only my insane laughter but the insane emotions rumbling through me – and answer him. "Yes. Of course I'll be your best person."

His face lights up with his bright smile. "Thanks Bells. And listen…" he shuffles feet as his eyes fill with tears. "I wanted to go with Edward…but he left without me. And Charlie said it wouldn't make any sense to chase after him because I would never catch him before he got on that flight. But I was so scared Bella. I've never been so afraid in my whole life. So…don't ever fucking do that to me again."

I bite my lip to hold back the tears, because I know if I start, Jake will start too, and then he'll get pissed at me for "making him cry."

"I won't."

"Good," he nods. "Get some rest, okay? We'll all be here."

"Okay."

"Love you Bells."

"Love you too, Jake."

-o-

I wake up in the middle of the night sweating, but smile when I realize the cause. Edward has his entire body wrapped around mine protectively. I try to move easily, hoping to get up without waking him. He mumbles unintelligibly, making me giggle. The giggling stops when his arms tighten around me and I can't move at all. "Edward," I whisper, hoping to only wake him up enough to move him. "I need to get a drink."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Edward! Let me go." I swear this man brings out the most girlish giggles in me.

"Never." His voice is hoarse and full of emotion, making my giggles stop short. His eyes open slowly and I shiver at the intense stare he gives me. "I will never let you go, Bella. I'm going to be the most annoying asshole ever and you're going to hate me for a while, but I won't be letting you out of my sight for quite some time."

I just smile at him and shrug. "That's okay with me."

"Yeah?" He gives me a small smile, but it doesn't touch his eyes.

"Yeah," I nod. I use my hands position on his chest to push him back slightly so I can roll on top of him. I rest my chin on his chest and stare at his gorgeous face. "I was so afraid that I'd never see you again. When I woke up in the hospital I thought I was still…with him. I thought I was going to be stuck with…" I realize I can't say his name so I cough and shake my head. "I think I'll need to be right by your side for a while too."

"Good."

I lean forward and kiss his lips gently. All thoughts of needing a drink quickly leave my mind as he returns the kiss, keeping it chaste. When I swipe my tongue across his bottom lip, he freezes. "Bella…I don't think this is a good idea."

"What? Why?"

"I just…I don't…I can't…"

And then it clicks. I remember what Alice said. "Edward," I whisper his name and kiss his chin. "He didn't…rape me. Alice told me what you walked in on but you made it in time. You saved me."

He shakes his head and shuts his eyes tightly. "If I'd been even ten minutes later…he would've…he could've…"

"Shh," I kiss the tear that rolls slowly down his cheek. "Stop. Don't think like that. The "what ifs" will drive you crazy. Just think of how lucky we are. We're here together and we're all safe. That's what matters. Don't let him take anything else away from us. He's taken away enough and he's gone, Edward. He won't bother us anymore."

"We still need to deal with the trail," he says with venom.

"I know and we'll deal with it when it comes to that. But right now? I need you Edward. I need to feel close to you, I need to know that you love me. I need to be with you."

His gaze softens. "You know I love you."

"I know. I just need to feel it. Okay?"

He takes a deep breath and kisses my lips. "Okay," he murmurs against them.

He shows me how much he loves me for the rest of the night with soft kisses and touches. Our quiet moans fill the room as our bodies reconnect, fueling the love and desire we both desperately need.

For the first time in what feels like years, I breathe easily as I drift off to sleep, knowing without a doubt that I'm home and safe, in the only arms that will ever make me feel that way.

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**A/N: Whew. So we got some more answers. There are more of those to come! Everyone got their little reunion with Bella. Well…mostly everyone, but, there are some more things on that front next chapter! And we will also find out what happened/will happen to Riley. Reviewers will receive a MPOV. Ya know you want it, heh. HE'S TOO DAMN CUTE NOT TO WANT IT! Am I right? Also, y'all are getting another new chapter Friday, for SURE! Maybe even sooner, but no promises to be made there, because I hate breaking 'em. xo**


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: I'm only a day late! Lol. I hope everyone enjoyed their MPOV! Did he make your ovaries explode from sheer cuteness? Don't worry. I know the feeling. Some of y'all are so cute. I'm glad I make you do happy dances when I update. Let's get into the new chapter, yeah?**

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**BPOV**

"Ow!"

I sit up quickly, jolted awake by Edward's yelp of pain. "What's wrong?" My own voice is laced with panic as I look all around the dimly lit room. "Edward?"

"Relax, babe," he shushes me, his hand finding my own in between the sheets and blankets. "It's just our early morning visitor."

My eyes adjust to the room's lighting and I can't help the smile that spreads across my face as I stare at Masen's blushing face. "Hi Mommy. I didn't mean to hurt Daddy's penis, I was just excited to see you guys! So I just jumped right up on the bed. I shoulda looked first, huh?" He looks at me expectantly, but I'm too busy laughing my ass off. "What's so funny?" he asks with a frown of confusion covering his face.

Edward joins me in my giggles, shaking his head and groaning into his hands that cover his face. "Nothing, Mase, nothing," he says behind them. "How did you sleep last night? Were you good for Uncle Em?"

He just shrugs. "I dunno. Ask him!"

"I will!" Edward yells teasingly as he pulls him closer and tickles him mercilessly.

"Stop, Daddy!" Masen screeches. "It tickles!"

"I'm tickling you! It's supposed to tickle, weirdo."

"Mommy, save me!" he says in between fits of giggles.

I dive toward the two of them, finding Edward's bare chest and pinching the closest nipple. "Ow! Damn, Bella. You're supposed to be on my team." He releases Masen, who has a big smile on his face as he cuddles up against me. "You two are mean to me," he says with a seriously perfect pout; he even makes his lip quiver.

"Aw, Daddy! I'm sorry. You wanna snuggle with us?" Masen lifts up the blanket and holds his arms open. When Edward nods and snuggles against our little boy, my heart melts while my ovaries explode. Jesus Christ, these two together, are deadly.

I let out a dreamy sigh, which Edward hears. He looks up at smiles at me, throwing in a wink, because he knows what the cuteness is doing to me. I just roll my eyes, trying to play it off, but he knows me too well.

"Hey, Mase," he says in a too-loud whisper. "Why don't you go wake up Uncle Em and Auntie Rose? That way we can all have breakfast together."

"But I miss you guys," he says with his own perfect pout. "Uncle Emmie said I couldn't wake you guys up last night, because it was a long day yesterday. I think…" his brow scrunches together. "I think we needa have a really short day today. Do you think you could make the sun go to sleep early, Daddy?"

Edward lets out a laugh and nods. "I can try."

"Good because I don't want you guys to be tired. I really miss you lots, you know?"

Edward's voice cracks as he answers. "I know, big guy."

"Hey," I whisper. "How about I go wake up Uncle Em and Auntie Rose?"

Edward looks up and I give him a wink. "You sure?" he asks. "I don't think you should be walking too much…"

I roll my eyes. "I'm only going down the hall, Edward. I won't be walking too much. Plus, I think you and someone need some Daddy-time."

"Who?" Masen asks.

"You, silly!" I say with a kiss to his forehead. "Don't take too long, okay? I want some special time with you, too."

A huge smile breaks out onto his face as he nods enthusiastically. God, I missed him. I give him another extra kiss before I kiss Edward's lips quickly. "Love you boys."

"We love you," they answer in unison.

The last thing I hear as I shut the door behind me is Masen's fit of giggles.

The second I turn around, I walk straight into a wall. "Ow!" I yelp, feeling panicked for a second as I stare at the huge muscular chest in front of me, which is definitely not a wall. When I realize it's only Emmett (duh) I relax. "Hey, Em." I give him a smile that he tries to return, but it's strained. "What's wrong?"

He avoids eye contact with me and rubs his neck as he answers. "Huh? Nothing. I think I'm uh…gonna go make some coffee. You want some?" He walks away quickly, not even waiting for my answer.

"What the hell?"

The door at the end of the hall opens just as my hobbling ass reaches the bathroom. "He's afraid," Rose says quietly as she exits the room. I must look completely confused, because she meets me at the bathroom door and follows me in. She doesn't say anything else until after I hand her an unopened toothbrush from the stash of extras I keep in one of the drawers. "He's lost a lot of people, you know?" I nod as I squeeze out the toothpaste onto my own hot pink brush. "He's lost people really close to him. He's been worried about losing his brother for years, too. I think you shocked him."

I was about to put my toothbrush into my mouth, but stop mid-air and place it down onto the sink's countertop. I sit down on the closed toilet lid and look up at Rose. "How did I shock him?"

She plops up onto the countertop and sighs. "Everyone he's lost, everyone he's worried about losing…it's all been military-related. Of course he's lost loved ones to sickness and things like that…but never someone in a sudden tragedy…not in real-life at least. Not in his day-to-day civilian life. I think this experience with you really shook him up. Just…cut him some slack, okay?"

I just nod, because I'm not sure what to say. I stand up and brush my teeth; using the time where I can't physically talk to think over everything Rose told me.

She finishes before me, giving me a small smile. "I'm going to go help Edward with Masen. I'll give you two a few minutes, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks Rose. For everything."

She scoffs. "I'm the one who owes you." She kisses my cheek and walks out, closing the door behind her.

After quickly taking care of my pressing early morning needs, I make my way down to the kitchen. It's completely quiet, except for the most beautiful sound in the world; the humming of my Keurig machine. "Great, isn't it?" I ask with a smile on my face when I catch Emmett with a blissed-out sip face as he chugs his coffee down.

He nearly spits it out, making me giggle slightly. He narrows his eyes at me a little as he wipes off his chin. "You scared the shit out of me," he mutters as he places his cup down on the counter.

"So I heard," I say quietly. He's quick to catch on and he shakes his head.

"Rose has a big mouth."

"Are you mad that she said something?"

"That depends. What did she say?"

"She told me that you were scared."

He scoffs. "I wasn't scared." I give him "the look"; the one that says you're-a-fucking-liar-and-you-know-it. "Fine," he huffs. "You scared the shit out of me," he mutters angrily.

"Why?" I ask. Honestly, I'm not sure why it's affecting him so much. Of course, Emmett and I are good friends and we get along really well, and I can't even explain how happy that makes me, but I don't get it. "And while I'm at it, why have you been ignoring me? Everyone has said something to me, except you."

"Because I'm still fucking scared!" he nearly shouts.

"Of what?"

"Of losing you! Of losing anyone in my life!" Emmett slams down into a kitchen chair, shoving his face into his hands. "You don't get it. I know you don't and I'm sorry. You're important to my brother, my nephew, my wife, my parents…you're important to me. You're like, the glue holding my entire family together, Bella. I hope that doesn't…I don't know, put a ton of pressure on you or something, but it's true. I know we haven't known each other too long, but you are my little sister and I love you already. The thought of losing you…like that…you being taken from us…" he shakes his head back and forth slowly as he bobs his knee quickly. "It's too much." His voice cracks and I'm at his side in seconds.

Seeing someone so…big, muscular, and manly break down is new for me. I would've never in a million years imagined seeing Emmett this way; so vulnerable and afraid. "I'm sorry," I say. "I hate Riley for what he's done to me, but I hate him even more for the pain he's inflicted on not just me, but everyone that I love. I wish I could tell you that nothing will ever happen to me, or anyone you love, but it's not true Emmett. Danger and monsters don't only exist on battlefields. They exist in the real world too. You can't be everyone's superhero. That's not your job or your responsibility. And I love you, too."

He looks up at me and gives me a small smile. "Thanks, little sister."

He holds out his arms and I crawl onto his lap, giving him a big bear hug. "You're welcome, big brother."

We sit there for a minute in silence until we hear throats clear.

"You're lucky you two just said brother and sister or I'd be kicking some ass," Rose says with a smile.

"And you, big brother, would be missing a pair of balls," Edward says playfully…I think.

"How would he be missing balls, Daddy? What balls do you gots Uncle Emmie? Baseballs?"

"More like ping pong balls, buddy," Edward says with a grin that makes Rose and I break out into a fit of giggles while Emmett glares at his brother.

Masen looks completely confused, which only makes us all laugh harder, even causing Emmett to join in.

I sigh as I reach for a K-Cup, feeling like things _just might_ get back to normal.

-o-

The last couple of weeks has been an up and down rollercoaster of emotions for me. I did really well at the hospital, which allowed them to let me come home. The whole week home was pretty great, except for the mini heart attack I had each morning when Masen left with Edward for school.

I have a feeling that all of my positive progress is about to go right down the toilet, though. "You okay?" Edward asks me sweetly, rubbing my arms up and down as I lean back against him. I shake my head and he sighs. "Maybe you're just not ready for this, love." I flinch slightly at the term of endearment, remembering Riley saying it to me. Thankfully, Edward doesn't see that.

"I'm ready," I insist. "I need to be."

"No, you don't. You can take more time off, no one is going to think you're a failure, or whatever is going on in that head of yours."

"Edward, I'm fine. I can do this."

"Really?" he asks as he steps back and stands beside me. "Is that why we're still standing outside of your classroom? If you're ready, step through that door."

I know he's not trying to be mean, but he's still pissing me off. He thinks I can't do it, and I kind of think he's right, which only fuels my anger. I hold my chin high as I take the three steps needed to be right at the threshold of my classroom. I take a deep breath and try to step over it, but I fucking can't.

"Baby…" Edward's trying to be comforting, but my anger doesn't want to hear it. I shrug off his hand on my shoulder and try to take another step, but my feet won't move. "Bella, it's okay, you can try again in a week or so."

"No!" I shout, my voice echoing through the empty early-morning hallway. I rush forward, practically throwing myself into my classroom. The second I'm surrounded by the walls of my classroom, I feel like they're closing in on me. My breathing becomes as rapid as my heart, but I can't get any oxygen into my lungs. I'm gasping for air when Edward reaches me, joining me on the floor and wrapping his arms around me.

"Shh, shh. Bella, you're okay. Baby, it's all right. He's not here. He'll never be here again. That motherfucker is rotting in jail, where he will be for the rest of his miserable days."

I nod, knowing he's right, but I can't make myself calm down. I climb into his lap, and bury my face into his neck, breathing in his scent. Thankfully, the familiar scent of Edward calms me enough to where my breathing evens out. I pull oxygen into my lungs through deep, slow breaths. "I hate him," I mumble against Edward's neck. "I hate him so much."

"I know you do. I do too."

"What if I can never come back here? What if he ruined my career? How does Masen do this every single day?"

Edward doesn't answer my first two questions, probably because, like me, he has no idea what to think or say. "I think he can do it every day because he's seen how strong you are." I scoff at that. "Hey, don't do that," Edward chastises. "You've been _so_ strong. It's normal for this place to make you feel this way. It's the first time you've been back here. I think you'll continue to grow stronger and one day, you _will_ be in here again, teaching and not even giving that asshole a second thought."

"Do you really believe that?" I ask quietly.

"With all my heart. You're not weak, and you're not a quitter. He will not win. You're the winner here, always."

-o-

Remembering Edward's words from last week, I walk into the courtroom with my head held high. I refuse to stare over at the defendant's side of the courtroom. I won't give him the pleasure of seeing me crumble. I'm not stupid. I know I'm not invincible and I know that I'll fall apart if I see him; especially when I get up to testify.

"You okay?" Edward whispers. I nod my head, giving him a small smile that I try to keep genuine. "Remember, you're winning today."

"What if he gets off?" I ask quietly, finally voicing one of my biggest fears.

Edward scoffs and shakes his head. "There's no fucking way that Alec will let that happen. If it were to somehow happen…if he got off on a technicality or for some other ridiculous reason...you still don't have to worry, baby. I will never let him touch you again." I sigh, knowing he's speaking nothing but the truth. I've come to accept the fact that Riley is either going to rot in a jail cell, or a coffin. He deserves either of those fates.

The entire case seems to fly by, and before I even realize it, I'm sitting up in front of the entire courtroom, ready to testify against him. I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and then we're underway. "Hello, Ms. Swan," Alec says with a gentle smile.

"Hello."

"How are you?"

"G-Good." I hear Riley chuckle at my discomfort, but I ignore it. I clear my throat. "I'm good, thank you."

"Ms. Swan, can you tell me why you're here today?"

"I was kidnapped and assaulted."

"Do you see the man who did those things to you, here in this courtroom today?"

"I do."

"Can you point him out?"

I deliberately look Riley in the eyes as I point to him. "That's him. Right there. Riley Biers."

-o-

"We did it!" Edward screams when we finally exit the courtroom three hours later. The jury only took an hour to deliberate. "That motherfucker won't see the light of day ever again."

"He might," I reply quietly, not really wanting to ruin his happy moment.

"No baby, he's done."

I shake my head as we get into the car. "The judge gave him twenty years, with the eligibility for parole in fifteen. So he could be back in fifteen years, at the earliest."

Edward looks over at me, concern lacing his features. "That's a long way off, and that's assuming he'll survive in there for over a decade."

"You're right," I smile. "I'm being a buzzkill."

"No. You're being Bella. And I love you for it." He smiles and leans over, kissing my lips lightly. "Let's go celebrate."

"Celebrate?"

Edward just winks at me.

-o-

My cheeks are bright red as everyone claps and cheers.

I roll my eyes when Emmett hollers louder than everyone else. "Way to go, Sis! You showed that fucker! Ow! Rosie!"

"Masen is right there!" She points toward Masen and Mike's son, who are standing there with big grins on their faces, enjoying Uncle Emmie's discomfort.

"Sorry," Emmett mutters to them. When he looks back up, he's grinning again. "Way to go, B! Woo!"

"I didn't do anything," I say truthfully as we walk into the backyard.

I love Esme's backyard. It's gorgeous. First of all, it's huge. It seems to stretch on forever. And Esme, being Esme, decked it out completely. It's a little boy's wonderland, just like Charlie's, but it's also a big boy's wonderland, for Emmett and Edward. There's a huge pool, a horseshoe pit, and a mini half-court basketball court. On the opposite side is a seriously awesome playground set, a huge sandpit, and a whole array of battery powered ride-on trucks.

She didn't forget about us girls, though, because next to Carlisle's huge grill set-up is a seriously comfy patio set. Did I mention there's a mini bar right next to it? I sit down on one of the comfy chairs, enjoying the reprieve from the unseasonably-hot May sun as the huge umbrella shades me completely. Speaking of the devil in a sundress, Esme appears at my side, giving me a huge hug and an even bigger mimosa. "You did wonderful, dear. Don't think that you didn't do anything. You put that bastard away with your bravery."

"Thank you, Esme," I murmur before taking a big gulp of my yummy, slightly alcoholic drink. Hey, at least it's noon. When Edward sits down beside me I peak at his watch. Okay, almost noon.

"Hi, Mommy!" Masen says happily as he plops down onto my lap. "Did you do a good job?"

"She did," Edward answers. "The bad man is gone for good." I give him a look that clearly says, "don't lie to him" and he just shakes his head slightly and mouths "later." I let it go, because I don't want to ruin our family's moment. Plus, he's right. There's no reason for him to know the details. He's an innocent little boy who doesn't need to worry about this kind of shit.

"He's gone for good," I tell him. When Masen smiles up at me, looking like the happiest little boy in the world, I know it's the right choice.

I sit back, cuddling my favorite little boy against my chest while Edward plays with my fingers. I smile as my family surrounds me, laughing and joking and just…being together. I know that Riley is going to be gone for years, but I can't help but wonder what will happen when he gets out…eventually. Hopefully, I was nothing but a passing fancy to him; something that years in jail will easily diminish.

We all hear the doorbell from the front of the house, and I watch as Esme hurries off to answer it. I look around and take stock of who's here, and when I'm done, I realize everyone that I need is already here. "Are we expecting someone else?" I ask Edward, who just shrugs in response.

A few seconds later, I hear the clicking of a pair of heels, followed by my least-favorite nasal voice. "Listen, Esme, I can come here whenever I damn well please. There's no restraining order."

Masen's grip around my neck tightens uncomfortably when he hears her voice. "Mommy?" he asks me in a worried little tone, looking up at me with wide yes.

"Shh, it's okay baby. Daddy will handle it."

Edward is already up and walking toward Tanya and his mother.

"Edward, I'm so sorry. I tried to stop her at the door but she pushed me and-"

"You pushed my mother?" he asks, disbelief clear in his voice. He doesn't let her answer. He grabs Tanya by her elbow and nearly drags her back toward the patio's door.

"Let me go, Edward! Ow! That hurts!"

Normally, I would already be up, following the two of them outside…but I just don't have the energy anymore. There's been too much happening lately. I grip Masen a little tighter in my arms, seeking comfort as the hopelessness nearly overwhelms me.

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**A/N: Uh oh. Looks like there may be some bumps ahead…when are these guys gonna just...be left alone?! I know the whole court case was kind of rushed, and I'm sure in real life a case wouldn't be handled in the course of three hours…but this is fanfic, so let's pretend, k? Our couple needed a break. Lol. Reviewers will receive EPOV. So if you wanna see Edward and Tanya's conversation…hit that review button and let me know what you thought of this chapter! xo**


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: Hope everyone enjoyed their EPOV! Pretty enlightening, huh? What does it mean?! Maybe you'll find out in this chapter, or maybe you won't. I don't know. It all comes out as I type. LOL. **

**Thanks to all the first-time reviewers this time around. Shout out to everyone who found this story recently and read it in 1-2 days. AWESOMENESS! **

**P.S: It's very rare that I take THIS long to update. Sure, I'm a few days or a week late every once in a while, but never quite like this. I think it's been a couple of times, at most, and only when something has happened. Unfortunately, these past few weeks have been incredibly hectic, and I've had some family issues. Thank you to those who wrote encouraging and concerned PMs. To those of you who wrote some...slightly rude PMs, please remember that I am only human. I do not get paid for this. I do this for fun and for a creative outlet, and because I love writing and all of my readers. I have a job and a life and a family that sometimes have to take priority, but you all are one of my priorities as well. **

**Again, thank you. Hope you enjoy the chapter. :)  
**

**- M**

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**BPOV**

Edward was pretty quiet for the rest of the afternoon. When he walked back into the yard, I knew something was up, but I didn't want to mention it and ruin the day. Truth be told, I didn't want to mention it at all. If I had it my way we'd never have to speak another word about Tanya.

Thankfully, everyone around us didn't miss a beat. Everyone was upbeat and happy, keeping my mind busy and away from unpleasant things that could easily derail my mood completely. Emmett was hilarious, and so was Jake. When Jasper showed up, bringing me a huge bouquet of flowers, I had almost completely forgotten about the bitch altogether.

I hadn't seen him in what felt like forever, and it was so good to see him. It was especially amazing to see how happy he still made Alice. It made me have hope for me and Edward. Jasper and Alice had made it, Rosalie and Emmett had made it; hell, look at Esme and Carlisle!

I know that love; at least "true love" can last. I just don't know if _I'm_ cut out for "true love." Can I really handle it all? The ups and the downs? Sometimes I don't think I can. Sometimes I think it would all just be easier if I threw my hands up and said "fuck it." But then, I think about that whole "true love" thing and how not many people find it. I think about how lucky I am that I know I've found it. And most importantly…I think about how much it would hurt to have it…and then lose it.

I know with all of my heart that I will never break up with Edward; well…if he breaks my heart then that's another story, but I know that I'd never leave him over something stupid. You know, like, because of his whore-face ex-wife. However, it just seems like the odds are against us; like something will always go wrong. Something will always be lurking around the corner of our relationship.

If I'm getting sick of it, I'm sure Edward is. How are we going to get through this, together? How are we going to make it? Even though I've been with him for a few months now, it's all still so new – so many things can go wrong. Hell, so many things _have_ gone wrong.

I guess that's where my resolve comes from; where I gather my strength. Because, yes, so many things have happened to us already…but we've overcome them. We've beaten all of these things; these evil situations and people that seem to want nothing more than to be break us up. I can continue to be negative and say "here we go again" or I can be positive and say "bring it on," because Edward and I have already proven that we can handle it and come out on top – together.

Edward opening our bedroom door interrupts my scrambled thoughts. I almost want to roll my eyes at myself, when my mouth practically fills with drool at the sight before me. But can you blame me? Edward is standing there, right smack dab in the middle of our bedroom doorway, in nothing but a goddamn towel.

Watching someone get dressed should not be erotic, but I swear to God, Edward Cullen has a way of making even that possible. Watching Edward pull on a pair of boxer briefs is like watching porn. I swallow a few times, trying to rid myself of my now-dry-mouth. I wasted all of my saliva drooling over my Adonis-like boyfriend. I reach across the bed and grab my go-to bottle of Smart Water when the constant swallowing doesn't work. I gulp some down and thankfully it works, coating my dry mouth and lips.

Edward catches all of my motions out of the corner of his eye. When he looks at me, he gives me an almost shy and nervous smile. "Hey," he says as he removes the towel from around his hips and runs it all over his head, drying his messy copper hair.

It takes me a second to find the word I want to say. "Hi." I know. It took me a while to find the word "hi." But c'mon. Remember, Edward is standing in front of me, in nothing but boxers.

"What's up?"

I shrug. Why does this all feel so awkward?

_Because your both ignoring the slutty elephant in the room_.

I sigh, knowing I need to just bite the bullet.

"So what did Tanya want?"

Edward's eyes flash with anger and I sigh again, knowing this is going to be a horrible conversation. "Do we need to talk about this?" Edward asks.

"Do _you_ think we need to talk about it? Did something happen that I _need_ to know about?" I'm practically begging him with my eyes to say no.

This time it's Edward's turn to sigh. "Yeah, unfortunately."

"Okay," I nod. "Tell me."

"Hold on. I have something important to do first."

I frown. What could be more important?

Edward climbs up onto the bed, crawling toward me, not stopping until he's lying on top of my body. He leans down, slowly, kissing me even slower when his lips finally reach mine. His tongue sweeps across my bottom lip before his teeth follow, nibbling gently. He pulls away, making me frown.

A deep chuckle vibrates through him as his lips trail from my lips to my right ear. When he arrives at his destination, he whispers lowly in my ear. "I love you so much."

I sigh, feeling so damn content in my Edward induced bubble. "I love you, too."

He pulls back completely and smiles down at me. "No matter what?" he asks, reminding me that a serious talk is about to happen.

I take a deep breath, remembering my earlier musings, and nod. "Always."

He moves over slightly, so he's laying right beside me. I smile a little when his left leg crosses over, covering both of mine. His left hand finds my hair, twirling random strands slowly, making me melt against him. I smell his neck, loving the fresh scent of Edward combined with his masculine body wash that I can never remember the name of. Who cares what the name of it is? Just the smell of it makes me wanna jump him.

"She wanted money," Edward says suddenly, breaking my almost trance-like state.

I let out a humorless laugh. "Of course she did."

"I told her that she wasn't getting shit," he mutters. "She knows how lucky she is that I gave her part of the profit from the house, when legally I didn't have to give her shit in the first place. It's not my fault or my problem if she blew through it already. I honestly don't even know why she would try and ask me that."

"Well, she's pretty delusional, so I really can't say that I'm completely surprised," I argue.

"That's true," Edward agrees. "But I don't know. It felt like she wasn't _really_ here for money."

I look up at his frowning face. "What do you mean?"

"When she was leaving…I think she…I think she _threatened_ you."

"What?" I ask, feeling _super_ confused now. I sit up on my elbow and look down at his face. "How did she threaten me?"

"She said that I wouldn't want to make any more enemies because you don't need any more drama or something like that…" he shakes his head. "I think she…fuck, Bella…I think _she_ was involved."

"What?" I ask stupidly. "How could she be involved with what Riley did? Wait…" I think for a second. "How would she know about what happened with Riley?"

"Well…it has been on the local news, so I guess it could be that. But I don't know, babe. It was just how she said it."

"How she said what? What else did she say?"

"I don't know! I can't fucking remember."

I flinch at his tone and the volume of his voice. I recoil backward slightly, feeling panicked for a second. It's stupid, because I know that Edward would never hurt me, but I just can't help it. When he yelled I pictured Riley's face for a second and forgot where I was.

"Shit," Edward mutters, reaching out for me. I slide back in beside him right away, feeling stupid and needing to be close to him. "I'm sorry baby. I didn't mean to raise my voice. Are you okay?" I nod. "I don't know. I'm just so confused, Bella. When she was leaving, she said, 'I don't think she'll be so lucky next time.' And when she was driving off, she said, 'Call me if you change your mind.' That sounds like a threat, doesn't it? Like I need to call her with some money or some shit or you're going to be hurt."

I think about it for a second. "I think it's completely reasonable to believe that she could've found out about the kidnapping and the trial from the couple of times it was covered on the news." Edward nods. "I also think that Tanya is crazy enough to use that information against you." He nods again. "But I don't think she's crazy enough to be involved with what Riley did." He hesitates. "I'm serious, Edward. I think she's just an opportunist. She sees an opportunity to capitalize on your love for me and your fear of something happening to me."

He sighs heavily and runs a hand roughly over his face. "I guess you're right. I'm just so sick of her shit; I'm sick of all of this shit."

A new kind of panic strikes my heart and stomach. All of my depressing, fear-filled thoughts reappear in my head in response to his words. "Sick of what shit?" I ask. "Sick of us?" I'm almost afraid to hear his answer.

His face morphs into confusion first, followed by surprise. "What? No! I'll never be sick of _us_. I could never be sick of you. I love you, baby. It's just…doesn't it seem like it's one thing after another, all of the time?"

I nod, because I'm not going to lie. It does. "Yeah, but I think we can handle it."

"I think so too."

I smile. "Good. I don't think you should give her any money, Edward. I don't think you should give in at all."

"What do you think I should do about her?"

"Well…she has no legal rights to Masen. She really has no reason to be here at all. I think she's essentially harassing us, or at the very least, you. Masen was really scared and confused too, and she just pisses me off. I think we should contact Alec and see what he thinks we should do."

"You're so smart," Edward says with a smirk.

"I have my moments," I reply with my own smirk.

"Ah, such talent."

"I'm talented in many ways," I tease.

"Oh, really?"

I nod.

"Would you care to tell me some of these other ways?"

"Nope."

Edward frowns. "Why not?"

"I'd rather show you."

His frown is replaced by his cocky-smirk, so I kiss it right off his cocky-face while I reach down to rub his cocky-cock that's already hardening beneath his skin-tight boxer briefs.

When I wrap my hand around his warm cock, Edward groans and throws his head back. I smirk and yank his boxers down, until they're around his ankles, where Edward hurriedly kicks them from his body completely. I can't help but giggle at his enthusiasm.

"Hey," he grunts out. "Less giggling, more showing."

I run the backs of my fingertips along the underside of his cock, from his balls to the very tip, making sure to take my time. Edward groans and throws his head back against the pillow, tossing an arm over his face. I use the opportunity of his momentary blindness to surprise him.

I quickly lean down, making the circuit again, but this time with the very tip of my tongue.

"_FUCK_! Goddamn it, Bella." I smile against the warm skin of his hard cock before I repeat the path again and again. "Don't tease me baby," Edward practically begs me.

At the end of the next circuit, I wrap my mouth around the head of his cock, sucking it hard as I make my way down, not stopping until he's hitting the back of my throat. I wrap one hand around what I can't fit into my mouth and slowly stroke him as I continue my tongue's work. "So talented, so so so talented," he chants over and over again.

I moan, knowing what the vibrations will do to him. He grunts and thrusts up, fucking my mouth slowly as one of his hands finds its way into the hair at the top of my head. He wraps some of my hair around and his hand and tugs lightly, making me moan again. I love when he loses it a bit, when he needs to feel control, when he needs to make me do what he wants done.

I can feel how wet I am as I rub my thighs together.

"Get up here," he suddenly commands.

I instantly remove my mouth from him with a pop, scrambling up to straddle is waist. I sit up a bit, not even needing him to tell me to get naked. My shorts and panties are quickly tossed a side, and then he's there, the head of his hard cock rubbing deliciously against my already-swollen clit.

My breath hitches and my eyes roll back as Edward rubs the tip of his cock all around my swollen flesh. "God, Edward," I moan. "I need you inside me."

He doesn't continue to tease me. Surprisingly, he gives me what I want right away. The head of his cock travels south and before I can beg again, he's pushing his way inside me, making me groan in pleasure and relief.

"Oh, baby, you're so wet for me, aren't you? You love sucking my cock, huh?" Edward says in that deep sexy voice of his. "Fuck."

He plays with my clit with one hand while his other snakes around, landing comfortably on my ass. He gives it a squeeze, pulling me back and forth over his cock. I lean down, capturing his lips with my own and practically devour his tongue.

I can feel the tingles steadily building as he continues to rock in and out of me. Seemingly out of nowhere, every single tingling sensation explodes, all at once. I try to scream, but no sound comes out. Instead, my body freezes, everything else stopping, except for the incredible sensational pleasure shooting to every extremity. Unfortunately, during my very powerful orgasm, I forget to breath.

I collapse on top of Edward, feeling worn out and exhausted as my head pounds…but Edward keeps on pounding himself. "Ah!" I gasp, feeling overly sensitive but nowhere near wanting him to stop.

When I feel my second orgasm approaching, I tell Edward, who only grins smugly. "Plant your knees on either side of me, baby." I do as I'm told. Edward grabs both ass cheeks, and begins slamming his cock up inside me. His pace is fast and thunderous. "Rub your clit, Bella. I want you to cum again, baby." He squeezes his eyes shut tightly, and I know he's holding off his own orgasm to give me my second. I do as he says and once again, I can feel the ball of tingles ready to snap.

I cum, this time screaming out his name as I do so. "Edward! Oh, oh, _God_. Fuck!"

"Goddamn it, Bella," he groans as he spills inside me.

When I fully collapse on top of him, I sigh in contentment. After a few minutes, our sticky bodies break apart. I wince slightly as I settle down beside him. His face immediately morphs into concern. "Was I too rough?"

"No!" I shake my head and kiss him. "It was amazing. I'm just a little sore."

"So, I was too rough."

I roll my eyes. "No, you weren't. I loved it. I just need a rest, that's all."

He laughs and shakes his head. "Hey!" he says suddenly. "I've got an idea. Stay right here."

"Trust me, I won't be going anywhere. Even if I wanted to, I don't think I can move."

I can hear his laughter from the bathroom, followed by flowing water. He comes back a few minutes later and holds out his arms to me. I move to the edge of the bed where Edward scoops me up, bridal-style, making me squeal.

"What are you doing?" I ask him as he carries me.

"Taking care of you," he replies with a little boyish grin.

He looks so adorable in that instant, as he places me down into the hot water. I sigh, both from the hot water soothing my aching muscles, and from the contentment that suddenly overwhelms me.

"Oh God," I moan. "This feels so incredible." He smiles down at me and suddenly something is missing. "Could you do me one more favor?"

"Of course, babe. What else do you need?"

"You," I reply with a grin. "Just you."

He lets out a chuckle and nudges my shoulder. "Slide forward and I'll get in behind you."

I do as he says and he gingerly lowers his body in behind my own. When he wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me back against him, I smile and snuggle my head back against his shoulder. "This is nice."

"It is."

"So…I was thinking…"

"Uh oh," he says with a laugh.

"Shut up." I smack his arm and give him a little pinch.

"Damn it, Bella!" he whines. "That hurts."

I can almost see the damn pout, so I rub his arm soothingly before lifting it up and giving him a "boo boo" kiss. "Better?"

"A little."

"Good. Now…"

"As you were saying," he interrupts.

"Edwaaaard!" I guess it's my turn to whine, now. "Stop and listen. This is important."

"Okay, babe. I'm sorry."

"I was thinking…maybe we should get married…"

"Really? I was thinking that, too. That's why I put this here," he says as he runs his thumb over my gorgeous engagement ring.

I get up, huffing as I do so, and step out of the tub.

"What are you doing?" he asks, but I ignore him.

I grab a fluffy blue towel off the back of the door and stomp out of the bathroom.

By the time I'm putting on my pajama pants, Edward is standing in the bathroom doorway. "What's wrong?"

"I was trying to be serious, and you just keep on joking around like this is not important." I frown, feeling let down and disappointed. I know he was joking around, but I'm trying to be serious, about something that I think is serious, and he isn't letting me do that.

"Baby…" he trails off as he walks toward me, extending his arms and holding them open wide. "I'm sorry. Do you forgive me?" I hesitate, but nod, because how can I not? The Edward Cullen pout is an amazing thing. He gives me my favorite crooked smile as a reward before pulling me into a tight hug. Edward's lips touch the top of my hair before he apologizes again. "And I'm sorry for ruining tubby time."

I burst out laughing, I just can't help it. "Tubby time?"

"Yeah," he says when he pulls back and grins. "That's what Masen calls it."

"Have I told you that you're adorable today?"

He pretends to think. "Nah, not yet. Go ahead. Lay it on me." Edward takes my hand and leads me toward our bed. After he pulls back the covers he climbs in, tugging my hand for me to join him. "And lay on me while you lay it on me. It'll be better that way." He winks at me and goddamn it, I blush.

I swear I have no control over it.

"Damn you're cute," Edward says as I settle against him.

"I thought I was supposed to be laying it on you?"

He shrugs. "You're laying on me. That's enough. Now, as you were saying…" he trails off, raising his eyebrows expectantly.

"I was going to say…maybe we should get married as soon as possible."

"Really?" he asks with a surprised expression.

Shit. Maybe he doesn't want to. Maybe he wants a long engagement. I backtrack. "I just meant sooner, you know? I don't want to wait too long. Of course it wouldn't be, like, tomorrow, or anything crazy like that. Of course we would have to wait for Jessica and Mike to get married first, since they're getting married in like, two weeks, but I thought we could-"

Edward grabs my lips in between his thumb and index finger. "Shut up, Bella."

"Don't you tell me to shut up," I say…or try to say, anyway. It comes out more like "mmmffhhh."

He laughs and removes his fingers from my lips, replacing them with his own lips. "I'll marry you whenever you want."

"Really?"

"You have no idea how badly I want to make you Mrs. Cullen."

And with that, a few minutes later, I fall asleep with the biggest smile on my face.

**A/N: Wow! A whole chapter on one conversation between Bella and Edward. Well…a few conversations in between some fun stuff, am I right? Lol. So…this needed to be done. B&E needed some serious special time together and needed to communicate. All of the usual suspects (including everyone's fave – MASEN!) will return next chapter. You know what else is coming next chapter? BACHELORETTE PARTIES! If you would like a sneak peek (you know you do, don't even pretend you don't) then hit that review button! P.S. HIWYA will be updated tomorrow. xo**


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: So I wrote this on the recent update of HIWYA and I'm going to say it here as well: a random reviewer left a review, stating that I hold my stories hostage for reviews. I do not do that. I tell you guys what you'll get for a review, because I like writing little extras that give more to the stories, and the easiest way to give those is in a review reply. I have NEVER held off a chapter of a story in order to get reviews or bump my review count. I have a one shot on my profile that has SEVEN reviews, lol. Trust me, the number of reviews I have means nothing to me. I don't get paid for this. I do this for fun. I do this because I love to write. And mostly, I do this because of all of you. So…yeah. End rant. Who's ready to party?**

* * *

**BPOV**

"Oh my God!" I hear Alice screech out of nowhere.

"OW!" I yelp. Alice's screech made me basically stab myself in the eye ball. It was almost death-by-mascara. Okay. That's a little dramatic, but I'm feeling a little stressed here. Alice has been driving me, and everyone else within a mile of her to put it nicely – freaking crazy.

"Alice!" I yell down the hall, peering out of the bathroom door.

I hear her before I see her, the stomping and huffing giving her away. "Yes?" Alice places her hands on her hips, cocking her head to the side, pretty much daring me to question her.

"What's wrong now?"

"That stupid cat of yours tried to pee on my shoe!"

"Twilight?" I ask with a laugh.

"Do you have another cat?"

"No, but Edward and I were discussing a dog…Masen's been doing so well with Twilight and he's been begging for a dog, and the whole thing with-"

"Bella!" Alice interrupts. "He almost peed on my shoe!"

"He didn't mean it, Auntie Alice," Masen says sweetly. "I think he just really hadda go and sometimes when you're really busy you scare him and you were standing in between him and his go-go box, where he goes potty."

And like a chocolate bar in the July sun, Alice melts. She kneels down, her shoe-fiasco forgotten and kisses Masen on the forehead. "You're right Mase. I need to calm down a little bit."

Masen smiles up at her. "Just a lil bit." He shrugs and smiles again when it earns him another kiss.

"Sorry," Alice calls over her shoulder before hurrying back down the hall to drive someone else crazy.

I love Alice. Truly, I do. But when she gets into "planning mode" she's a Bridezilla. It doesn't have to be her wedding for it to come out of her; hell it doesn't even have to be a wedding, period. This is the worst I've ever seen her. Both Jess and I appreciate everything she's doing, throwing this party and everything, but I'm at my wits end.

"Mommy?"

I look down at Masen's adorable little face. "What, baby?"

He sighs heavily, shaking his head and looking up at me. "I just don't get you and Auntie Alice, and sometimes Auntie Rose. Daddy, Uncle Jazz, and Uncle Emmie said I'll never understand and I think they're right."

I let out a small chuckle and bend down on one knee. "What do you mean?"

"Girls! So weird!"

Laughing, I pick him up, wrapping my arms around him tightly. "I know. We're very weird. You'll understand a little more as you get older."

He shakes his head and mumbles, "If you say so," into my neck.

"Auntie Alice will go back to normal soon."

"When?" he asks as he pulls back.

"As soon as the parties are over."

"The barrette parties?"

I chuckle and nod my head, deciding not to correct him. The fact that he's been calling the bachelorette parties, "barrette parties" is hilarious to me. "Yeah, the barrette parties."

"Okay," he sighs. "I gotta go help Dad."

I bite my lip and nod, kissing his forehead before letting him go.

I can hear him continuously shouting "Dad!" as he runs down the hallway.

I figure I should follow him, knowing that Edward's going to need me.

By the time I catch up, Masen is nodding his head to something Edward's saying and then rushing out into the backyard.

Edward frowns and runs his hands through his hair, giving a hard tug. "Hey, easy on the sex hair, baby," I tease as I walk up to him. He immediately pulls me against him, hugging me tightly. "You okay?"

Edward sighs. "You heard?"

"Yeah, he said it before he shouted it throughout the house. How many times did he say it to you?"

"Twice," he answers with a frown. "First he said 'Hey Dad!' and then he said 'Okay, Dad!'"

I can't help it. I chuckle. "I'm sorry babe," I apologize. "Maybe he'll break out of it, maybe it's just a phase."

He releases me and places his hands on his hips, shaking his head. "No. My dad said I was around his age when he was no longer Daddy. It's over. I won't be Daddy anymore."

"It's not completely over. There will be times when he needs you so badly that you'll revert to Daddy. No matter how old he gets, he'll always be your little boy. You know that, right?"

"I know," he admits. "You know what's really unfair though?"

"What?" I ask as I loop my hand through his.

He pushes the patio door open with his free hand and looks at me seriously. "You still get to be Mommy. How come you're not Mom? I think we should both have to suffer together."

"Aw," I ruffle his hair. "You're jealous?"

"No," he pouts.

"It'll be okay baby."

"No it won't."

I sigh heavily. "You'll be a Daddy again soon, Edward. It won't be forever."

"What do you mean?" Edward's eyes widen and I realize what I just said.

_Shit_.

"I…I didn't mean, um, you know that I or that we…"

Edward smiles. "It's okay Bella. I know what you meant. Someday, right?"

He grabs my hand and pulls me toward our family and friends who are all sitting around the fire pit, looking like they're almost as sick of Alice's shit as I am.

Edward's words keep repeating over and over in my head. I hope he doesn't mind if "someday" is sooner than he thinks.

-o-

"Okay. Everyone gather around!"

Everyone in the room obeys Alice immediately. I guess we've all come to realize that's the only way she'll shut up. Immediate compliance is always best with Alice.

"I just want to thank you all for coming. Knowing that my two very best friends have finally found the guys they've been looking for seriously makes me so happy." There's a collective "aw" throughout the room. "I've been waiting for them to know and feel what I've felt with Jasper for quite some time. I want nothing but happiness for both of them in their futures with their two great guys." Jessica and I look at each other and smile. "But, as I'm sure most of you will agree, right now…I want strippers!"

Music suddenly blares through the speakers, making half of the guests jump and the other half shriek. I look over to the corner and see Rose standing next to the entertainment center, looking like the cat that ate the canary.

Suddenly, there's a pounding knock on the door. Rose and Alice both squeal and run off to answer it together, while I have a total meltdown.

"Jess! They got strippers? Why weren't we told this? I cannot see a stripper! I don't want to see some strange guy get naked. Oh my God! Do you think they'll try and give us lap dances? I do not want a random dude's junk all up in my grill. I can't handle that."

By the time my word vomit is over, Jessica is lying back on the couch, laughing her ass off…at me. "Oh my God, Bella! Will you relax? You're going to make me pee my pants. Wait…" she sits up suddenly. "Did you just say that you don't want a random dude's junk 'all up in your grill'…Did that seriously just come out of your mouth?" My non-answer is answer enough, and she falls back against the couch, laughing even harder now.

"Jessica!" I screech as I grab her wrists and pull her up. "Yes! I said it. I know, I'm hilarious, but please! Help me! We can't have strippers. What would the guys think?" And then it hits me. "Wait. You don't think…they don't have strippers coming to _their _parties, right?" Edward and Mike aren't having a double bachelor party, because they don't really know each other that well, and I guess it'd be weird or whatever, but their parties are both going on tonight as well.

Jessica rolls her eyes at me. "Do you really think Emmett is going to hire strippers for a party that your dad and son are attending? Please. Edward would never allow that. Mike, however…" she shrugs. "Who knows?"

"That doesn't bother you?"

Jessica doesn't have a chance to answer, because suddenly, very muscular and veiny hands grab her by her shoulders, hoisting her right off of the couch. I look up and see a young Arnold Schwarzenegger look-a-like throwing my best friend over his shoulder.

I feel myself blush from embarrassment when he winks at me while simultaneously thrusting his speedo-clad body at me. I really start to panic, though, when his buddy starts coming my way.

Oh my fucking God! I'm going to kill Alice!

He's not disgusting. Of course he isn't. I'm sure that's a requirement in a field where you get buck-ass-naked every night. He's very attractive, actually. He has light blonde hair that's cropped short, hazel-looking eyes, and pretty white teeth. His body, that I can see far too much of – shows how much time he spends at the gym.

But there's one thing wrong with him: he's not Edward.

Which is why I'm not filled with excitement and shrieking like every other woman currently sitting in my overly-pink-bride-to-be decorated living room. I'm filled with dread and I'm pretty sure I'm on the verge of throwing up the cute little sandwiches we ate a while ago.

I don't think Hulk Junior would like that very much.

When he reaches me and reaches _for me_, I freak out.

"No! No thank you."

He chuckles and throws his head back. "No? What do you mean, Darlin'?" His Southern accent throws me off until I notice the cowboy hat he recently placed on his head. So, he's what? A cowboy? Is this like, "save a horse, ride a cowboy?" because…no thank you! "I'm here for you, little lady," cowboy themed Hulk Junior says with a smile. "Your participation is required."

He grabs my hand and leads me over to the empty love seat and gently pushes me down onto it. I sit down and cover my face with my hands, moaning in despair as he continues to chuckle. "You're shy, aren't you?" he asks.

"No! I just…I don't want you to, um, strip for me. I'm not comfortable with any of this."

I keep my eyes covered, praying that he'll just take pity on my embarrassed self and leave me be. Unfortunately, he doesn't. Seconds later, I'm in the same upside down situation Jessica was a few minutes ago. I shriek as I'm thrown over this stranger's shoulder. I pound on his back as hard as I can. "Put me down!" I kick my legs when I realize that he's leading me out of the crowded living room and into the empty, dark hallway.

Everyone continues to whistle and laugh. I think I need new friends. _Bitches_.

I take a deep breath to ready myself to scream at this asshole, when something strikes me. I inhale again, this time breathing in the scent of my stripper-kidnapper. Is he wearing the same cologne as Edward? I sniff him again as he shifts me slightly and I realize he smells exactly like Edward.

He plants me down on the ground and I stumble a bit. He laughs and my head shoots up, my eyes locking no longer with hazel eyes, but deep green. I follow the sound and my eyes land next on his perfect lips as he speaks. "Are you gonna keep sniffing me, baby? Or can I get a kiss?"

"Edward!" I shout happily, throwing my arms around him and kissing him hard. His hands travel to their favorite spot and he gives my ass a firm squeeze as he deepens the kiss, sliding his tongue into my mouth, making me moan in pleasure as it connects with mine. After a few minutes of heated kisses, I pull back and smile up at him.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to save you. I heard about the strippers. Was I right? Did you need saving? I could always leave and let you get back to your cowboy…" he smirks down at me.

"No!" I tighten my hold on him. "You're not allowed to leave unless you take me with you."

He gives me his lopsided grin before throwing me back over his shoulder. "That can be arranged, love."

-o-

When we're safely in the confines of Edward's car, I finally feel like I can breathe. I squeeze his hand and he looks over at me. He's smiling, running his thumb along the top of my hand. "Feel better?"

"You have no idea," I sigh. "How did you know that I needed to be rescued?" I ask him as I unclasp our hands and thread my fingers into the silky little hairs at the base of his neck.

"I have my sources."

"Who?"

"Rose."

"I love her! I thought she was Team Alice."

He throws his head back and chuckles. "Rose is a double agent sometimes. She had me waiting in the wings for rescue, I think."

"Where's your cape?" I ask with a faux frown on my face.

He lets out another chuckle as he speeds along the highway. "I forgot it."

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

-o-

About a half an hour later, Edward pulls up to a beautiful and expensive looking hotel. I frown. How the hell did he pull this off? Edward must've seen my facial expression, because he takes my hand and turns slightly toward me in his seat.

"Okay," he sighs. "I may have known about the whole rescuing thing a little sooner."

"How much sooner?"

"A few days."

I slap his arm. "You knew they were hiring strippers all along and you didn't tell me!"

He winces, even though we both know there's no way that slap hurt him. "Yeah," he rubs the back of his neck with his free hand. "Rose said she'd let me know when to come over. I would've come over sooner, or not even let it happen at all, but…"

"You're afraid of Alice," I finish for him.

"Yeah I am," he admits with a sheepish smile. "Are you mad?"

I let out a round of giggles. "No! Well…I'm a little upset that you let me suffer at the hands of the cowboy…but I forgive you." I let out a sigh. "Actually…he was kind of hot. So thank you."

Edward growls and throws himself across the center console at me, wrapping me up in his arms and crushing my body to his as best he can. His tongue plunges into my mouth instantly twirling with my own. I let out a loud moan, loving the feel of his mouth assaulting mine.

A loud knock on my window surprises us both.

Edward leans back and clears his throat before pressing the button on his side to roll it down. I feel myself blush as the smirking face of a teenaged valet appears. "Hello Sir, Ma'am," he nods to both of us. "May I take your keys?"

The boys eyes linger a little on me and I hear Edward huff. When he walks around the car, he opens my door for me, not allowing the valet to do so. I giggle when he purposely places himself in between me and the boy.

When the valet walks around the other side of the car and gets in, I get on my tiptoes to whisper in Edward's ear. "You're afraid of a valet stealing me away?"

"Yes," he says with a smile.

"I think you need to fix your priorities."

"Is that so?" he asks as he locks his arms around my waist, resting his hands on the small of my back. "And what priorities are those?"

"I think the person you should really be afraid of is Alice. You stole me away from the party that she planned for like, a month. Do you realize what she's going to do to you?" I smirk up at him and his face becomes very serious.

When his grip tightens on me, I squeeze his shoulders. "Hey. I'm just kidding. She probably won't care as long as I give her all of the details." He doesn't smirk down at me and his hold doesn't loosen. "Edward, what's wrong? You're scaring me."

Edward steps back slightly, removing his hands from around my waist. He takes my hands from around his neck and holds on tightly in his slightly sweaty palm. "Stay right beside me, and do not let go of my hand. Don't panic."

My body doesn't listen and I panic as soon as the words are out of his mouth. "What? Why? What's wrong?"

"James is here."

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**A/N: Cliffie! But I love y'all. Remember that! To hold you over for next week, review and receive a JPOV. Let's get into that asshole's head and see what the hell he wants now. Shall we? I'm wondering how he knew they'd be there. What do you think? Let me know. Let's discuss. Bring snacks. :)**


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